Hope for the Forsaken
by Mr.Who2123
Summary: The humans leave their dying planet to find Ragol. However,they discover people from Ragol upon their landing. Kemero,a top ranger of Earth,is forced to investigate a ruin with the top Hunter of Ragol,Armos. However, the two discover many secrets inside..
1. Memories with Heartache

Mr.who2123: Alrighty! I'll just start…I think that my funny Disclaimers distract people from the tragedy in my story so I am starting right away! I don't own Phantasy Star Online, although it's awesome. I have a level 91! One more thing, the beginning is like…what happened after the end of the story. Only like a day or two after the end. Just keep that in mind.

* * *

Chapter 1: Memories with Heartache

Kemero walked into his large room, dirty and tired. He glanced everywhere in the room; it was exactly the same from when he left. The similarity of the room was painful to him; his heartache was terrible and memories crept into his mind.

Kemero laid his gun, the VARISTA, on the bed and ran a gloved hand through his grimy white hair.

"Why did it have to happen? Right when-," his hazel eyes were fixed on a sheet of paper filled with writing. _That can't be mine. I haven't written anything since I came here months ago,_ he thought, taking a step towards the sheet. _Then it's…_

Kemero walked towards the paper and gingerly picked it up. Slowly, his eyes scanned the contents. Pain and memories flooded through him, and he couldn't stop thinking about the past. Kemero's hands started shaking, and the paper fell from his grasp.

"I…," he tried to say, but he was on the verge of tears. When did he last cry? Kemero closed his eyes, but the words on the paper were visible in his head. The pain was unbearable, even worse than when he was stabbed by a photon blade.

"Why...?," he whispered to no one, and his tears finally slid down his cheeks, and Kemero began to cry.

* * *

Kemero stretched and rubbed his eyes sluggishly.

"Good sleep, good sleep," he mumbled, stumbling out of the bed. "Where's my gun?" he asked himself, although he knew it was in its exact same spot, in his case that was locked in a safe.

Kemero finally rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and headed towards his gun. With nimble fingers, he unlocked the safe within seconds, and then opened the case to reveal a handgun with silver printed letters: Varista. The small gun was made with the latest technology; they used the power from a new compound element.

"Kemero wake up!" yelled a voice so loud that the ranger fell back wards. Kemero stumbled as he got up and then walked over to a small screen that projected images. A tall figure was shown: the leader of the planet, or the Principal.

"I'm up, Principal" replied the tired ranger. The Principal nodded and then grabbed a sphere that was on a table that was out of the screen to his left. Kemero knew it was a model of the planet, and he also knew that the Principal doesn't use that model unless something severe happened.

"The plague is getting worse, Kemero. This is what the planet looks like now," the Principal said grimly, lifting the sphere. Kemero remembered a blue, white, and maybe a little green model, but this one was different. The oceans were now green, and the atmosphere that covered the model was now only a thin sheet of ugly grey. Kemero widened his eyes at the figure, and then looked at the principal with a grim face.

"What happened?" Kemero asked, gazing at the figure. The Principal shook his head.

"The atmosphere as begun to melt away, there is little fresh water, and the core of our planet is actually melting the outer cores. Therefore, the planet is reacting strangely, and deserts are spread everywhere." Kemero widened his eyes again, and looked down.

"What do we do?" asked Kemero, a glimpse of hope in his hazel eyes as he looked up again. The Principal nodded and then placed the model planet on the desk which was too far from the projector's range to see anymore.

"We need to move to another planet," the Principal answered. "We _have_ to. This plaque has already destroyed 75 percent of the population, Kemero." Kemero looked down at his bare feet. He knew it was bad, but not that bad.

"We have unmanned scouts searching the solar system for a suitable place," the Principal stated, bringing Kemero's attention again. "We will find a place soon, Kemero. Don't worry about it," the Principal said, and the projector faded along with the image of him, leaving Kemero to his thoughts.

* * *

"WHAT!" Kemero yelled at the Principal. All the government leaders were gathered in a decisive meeting, and Kemero, being the leader of the national army, was there too. The Principal nodded again solemnly.

"There are only 500,000 of us less. The plague is getting worse," the Principal repeated solemnly. "There are only a few months before we all die." Kemero was sick to the stomach.

Caitlyn, the leader of the scientists that worked for the government, stroked a lock of hair that fell loose from her ponytail. Kemero looked at the scientist with a look of interest. He knew she had something up her sleeve when she plays with her hair.

"We have found a suitable place, though," she remarked, and relieved looks spread everywhere. Kemero and the Principal nodded to each other with knowing looks. _It looks like he also knew she had something to show as well. He doesn't look very surprised,_ he remarked in his thoughts.

"Do we have some vehicle that can take us to this new planet?" asked Stannis, the lead advisor of the Principal. Caitlyn's thin lips curled into a smile. Everyone turned their heads to Caitlyn, panic striking in the room.

"Why, all my scientists are working on that right now," she replied her smile still evident. Kemero sighed in relief with all the other officials, who had held their breath.

"How long will this take?" asked the Principal. "We need it within a month." Caitlyn nodded and then called for a scientist to come. A man with a long white lab coat and brown hair bowed to all the officials, and then walked next to Caitlyn. She asked the time frame that the experiment needed to be finished, and he said something back that Kemero couldn't quite catch. The man had an unreasonably small voice. The scientist left the room, and Caitlyn returned her attention back to the meeting.

Caitlyn looked at the members of the group with a sly look. Her hand moved automatically to her hair as she twisted her finger around the blonde lock.

"We will be done in a week," she said, and everyone cheered.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Yay! My first chappie! Well, if you review, I'll give you a smoothie of good reviewerness! WOOT!

(Notice 7/13/07 - I have corrected a couple mistakes for this chapter so it is more understandable.)


	2. Preparations

Mr.Who2123: Phantasy Star Online is not mine…I know, it's shocking. Kemero and Armos, however, are MINE! (Gives Armos a hug)

* * *

Preparations

Kemero held a small bag, and that was it. He was tapping his fingers absently at his side, and leaned to his side to see how long the line was. The scientists had finished their vehicles, called the Pioneers, and all 500,000 people were standing in a line to get in. Unfortunately, Kemero was near the end of the line, and he had waited for eight hours already.

The line started outside in large plains and ended miles away in a desert. Kemero couldn't even glimpse the vehicles that were far ahead, but he was curious as to what it looked like. Kemero shifted his weight to his other leg and continued to wait in the ridiculous line.

* * *

"What are you doing at this hour?" an elderly man croaked, shuffling himself forward next to a figure that sat on a green hill. The old man held a staff older than himself, and an exquisite red diamond was on the top, and the oak wood crept around the jewel, locking it in place. The sitting man turned briefly and glanced at the old man. He beckoned for him to sit, and the old man complied.

"Something will happen. I just know it," replied the figure, his voice sounding much younger than the sage next to him. His golden hair reached the midpoint of his neck, and it looked slightly shaggy and thick. Two floating mags were at his sides, hovering just above their shoulders. Their teal coloring glinted in the limited light of the moon. The younger man sighed. _Something terrible_.

"Is this about that wall?" the old man inquired exhaustion suddenly in his voice. The lesser of the two didn't reply. _It might be…_

* * *

"Welcome to Pioneer 1!" greeted a guard who stood next to one of the three towering ships. Kemero craned his neck to see the top of three silver ships, all painted silver. The ships were humongous and identical, except the first ship which had a large black ring around the front of the vehicle.

"Wow," Kemero muttered at the ships. He had never seen something so large.

"Go on ahead," the guard said, as if oblivious to the giant crafts. Kemero stepped on the ship to see a long hallway with rooms branching out on either side. The walls were royal blue, and the floor was a soft carpet. Kemero walked to a random room and opened it, to see another room, except giant, and filled with people. _Must be the main room of the ship,_ the Ranger thought, stepping through. Everywhere he went, it was crowded with survivors of the plague, most of them with large bags or holding children. It was sad to see so many sick and tired people on Pioneer 1. They all seemed miserable or anxious, and looked skeptically at the ship. Kemero knew what they were thinking. What if they don't make it? What if the government was just leading them to a disaster? Uneasiness was felt in every room he went.

Kemero walked through countless rooms, looking for a free chair, or anything to sit on. Almost all of them were filled with tired people or victims of the dying planet, laying back sluggishly. Upon entering what seemed the billionth door, Kemero came upon a chair, and it was a nice one too. It was made of red velvet, and it could even recline. The chair was right in front of a clear metal window that allowed a great view. He started for it with a quick walk when he noticed another man walk towards it as well. The two made contact and glared at each other with intensity as they sped their brisk walk to a dash. Kemero saw he wasn't going to make it and made a huge leap for it, reaching for the heavenly chair with outstretched arms. Kemero felt himself fall on the soft padding of the chair and grinned. The competetor of the chair huffed and walked away, indignant.

Kemero reclined in the chair and looked outside. The sun was dipping into the distant mountains to start the beginning of the night. He yawned and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

Red lights flashed everywhere, and Kemero shot out of the chair. Alarms buzzed off everywhere, toning out any kind of noise. Many people screamed or were panicked at the alert. A voice came through a speaker rushed and full of panic.

"Meteors are headed towards, repeat, we are in danger! Strap yourselves in your seats!" the voice faded, and more people began to scream. Kemero looked out the giant window. Flaming, giant meteors were everywhere, coming closer to the Pioneers. The Ranger sighed at the speaker.

"Tell the people they were in danger. Not very smart are you?" he dropped back into his seat and found a seatbelt buried in the soft cloth. With a long stroke, Kemero buckled it into the strap and waited for his fate.

* * *

"Someone is trying to break through our defensive meteors!" yelled a man, pointing to a silver glint in the sky. The younger man that had sat with the elder looked up at the ship trying to dodge one of the magic barriers. "What do we do, General Wreathen?" the guard asked again, this time he was calm.

Armos Wreathen kept his gaze on the ship.

"They don't look dangerous. Let them through," the general replied.

"But sir-," the guard began.

"You deny my orders?" Armos Wreathen demanded with a threat evident in his voice. The guard remained silent and left, giving orders to clear the meteor barrier.

"They look unprepared, that ship. Just like I was when I entered that cave,"

* * *

_"Do you see anything?" a voice sounded from a small communicator. Armos stopped and plucked the device from his belt and spoke in it._

_"No yet," he replied and put the communicator back on his belt. The whole mission was uneventful, and he expected nothing to happen. The room around him was pitch black and the only light that was visible was from his mags that glowed with photon energy. _

_A rumble erupted, and a roar was heard all around Armos. He stopped and unsheathed two small handles. He pushed the small button, and blue blades shot out of each of them. The general glanced around him. Nothing was there, yet…_

_A giant claw decorated with raw photon sliced at Armos from the darkness of the ruin, but the hunter jumped away. He heard another noise coming from behind him. Again, a giant blade like claw came at him, and Armos barely managed to block it with his own blade. Armos thrust his blade at the darkness and killed the unknown enemy that lurked in the dark. _

_A deep pain came at the general as a claw sliced his back, receiving a cry from the hunter. He stabbed the monster, and the sound of a collapse reassured him that it was dead. _

_Another roar was heard from the monsters, and one of them came out of the darkness. They had no face, and photon was being filtered throughout it, and light was all around it. The monster dragged two claws that were twice the size of a normal arm._

_The monster sliced at Armos, but missed, for the hunter was too quick. Another monster came at Armos and ripped at his stomach. Armos screamed and fell on the floor. More of the monsters surrounded him._

_"Left my guard…down…," he gasped as the monsters came closer with their claws ready to tear him apart._

* * *

Kemero's nails dug into the soft leather of the chair as a meteor passed by him. He could see the space, vast and beautiful, but all Kemero was thinking of was hoping he would make it in one piece. The meteor missed by inches, and Kemero could feel the heat of the meteor. Kemero noticed that the planet had meteors all around it, as if guarding the place. The meteor moved away by pure luck, and the course to the planet was clear.

The red lights finally turned off, and everyone's ears were ringing from the sudden stop of the deafening sound.

Kemero sighed as Pioneer 1 came closer to the new planet. A voice came up on the speaker, but the voice was shaky and stuttering as he spoke.

"We, we, made it th, through the…meteors," the voice projected through the whole ship. A loud cheer erupted from all the refugees, and some people even threw their hats to the ceiling. Kemero slouched in his chair and sighed with relief.

"We made it!" he yelled to no one in particular.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Yay for Kemero! OH NO! POOR ARMOS! (Hugs Armos who is pretty much ticked off)

Armos: I know you love me so why don't you go to your General Wreathen Shrine?

Mr.Who2123: Good Idea! BYE! (Skips Away)

Armos: Hehe, we said we wouldn't do funny stuff, so we'll try to subside it. Anyways, review.

(Notice 7/13/07 - I have revised this chapter and made it a lot more descriptive. Enjoy!)


	3. A Meeting of Fate

Mr.Who2123: BEGIN! I wish I had P.S.O., I DON'T have it, so don't ask me for a Zanba.

Armos: (sigh) For people who have no idea what that is, a Zanba is one of the best swords in the game.

* * *

Kemero's eyes were glued to the window as the pioneers all headed for a large clearing, and Kemero could feel gravity pull at him again as clouds rushed by. _Almost there…_ the ships were leveling now, and they were only yards away. _A new place…_ The pioneers unlatched their landing stops. _A better life!_ The ship moved slowly down, and the stops hit ground, making the ship move a little bit before falling stationary again.

"We have landed, repeat, we have made it to our new home!" the speakers boomed. Cheers filled the pioneers, and Kemero sighed in relief. Kemero thought he was dreaming at first when he saw the picturesque scene out the window. Mountains hued purple bordered the forest and life filled planet. The grass was vivid and the sun, or rather, suns were shining brightly, and the ranger could feel the warm heat even in the ship.

"We are now leaving Pioneer 1. Please gather all your possessions and wait outside of the ships. Thank you, and have a nice day," the speaker sounded. Mothers scooped their children, and men grabbed their bags. Kemero picked up his bag and headed towards the exit.

* * *

Armos was lying back in a chair in the sage's office. His mentor, the old man, was pacing the room.

"You let them through?" the sage asked, coldly glaring at the general. Armos just shrugged.

"They don't have any guns. They're completely harmless," he replied carelessly. His mags hovered above him lazily, and he patted one of them. The sage covered his face in his hand and sighed.

"They could have weapons _inside_ the ships," the sage challenged. Armos just shrugged again. He didn't really care.

"The ships were made of steel and polycarbonate, metals used for only the weakest swords." The old man eyed Armos.

"You are sure?"

"When have I been wrong?" the hunter replied. He stood up and stretched. "I want to greet our guests, alright?" he said said. The old man eyed Armos again and sighed.

"I want you to take them to me. Make a good first impression,' the sage warned as Armos left, grabbing his photon blades.

* * *

Kemero took one step outside, and felt clean air for the first time in years. He had forgotten how truly amazing it was to feel the breeze tickle your nose and to feel the soft grass. Kemero ran out into a clear spot and threw his bag to the floor. Kemero let himself fall on the soft grass. A breeze gently brushed the grass against Kemero's nose, and he sighed in satisfaction, closing his eyes. He wouldn't leave this spot even for the world.

"Kemero, we need you," he heard a familiar and strict voice from above him. Kemero cracked open a weary eye and the Principal filled his blurry vision.

"What for?" Kemero muttered back and sat up. His fatigue had caught up with him, and he wanted to sleep. The Principal frowned at the ranger and sat down next to him.

"We need a scout for the perfect place to settle," the Principal explained, extending a hand towards the mountains in the east. Kemero gazed in the Principal's indication at the dark mountains.

"Can't I rest?" Kemero protested, falling on his back again. The Principal forced down his frustration and sighed.

"We need a suitable place for all of us. You would rather rest than help others?" the statement caught Kemero off guard.

"Well, I…," he began, but gave up in mid-sentence. "Fine." Kemero stumbled onto his feet and rubbed his eyes. He grabbed the bag that rested a couple feet away and opened it. With trained fingers, he twisted the number lock until the case unlatched and revealed the Varista. Kemero picked the gun up and placed it in his small hilt. Then with much exertion, he dug through all of his clothes and weapons to reveal yet another gun. It was as large as the bag and barely fit into it. It was a launcher, four feet long and one foot wide. He placed the strap around his back, and felt his small hilt to make sure his handgun was there as well.

The Principal looked skeptically at the bazooka before nodding.

"Contact us with this," the Principal handed a communicator to Kemero. The ranger studied the small, sleek object before pocketing it and walking off towards the mountains.

* * *

Kemero came to a field of long grass and weeds that reached high above him. The ranger sighed and stepped into the yellow blades of grass. He just knew that it was going to be an annoying search, and pressed on. While continuing and searching for a large clearing, Kemero managed to get almost every strand of stray grass into his white hair. The Ranger grumbled in frustration and tried pulling them out, only to run into some grass with his eye. His hand shot to his eye, and the ranger muttered under his breath.

Kemero was rubbing his eye from the pain, then heard a rustling a little ahead of him. The ranger nearly jumped from the sudden noise. He hadn't heard any noise for the long time he was out there, and was caught off guard by it. Kemero stopped and took his Varista out silently. _I will see the first life forms on this place. How lucky of me…_, he thought sarcastically, loading his gun in preparation.

Kemero heard the rustling again, this time to his left, and louder than before. Kemero twisted himself and aimed in the general direction. _It's fast. I didn't even know it moved_, he thought, holding his gun up with one hand, while the other lingered to the strap of his launcher.

The rustling sounded again, and it was right behind Kemero. The panicked ranger twisted and shot at the figure he saw. The figure was gone, and the bullet missed. _Ugh, too fast. Calm down. You are the most respected fighter on Earth. I can handle a few measly…_, another noise sprung from Kemero's right, and there, right in front of him, was a person with two blades of blue light tight against his throat. Kemero widened his eyes at the person. He looked just like someone from Earth, but his clothes and weapons were unknown to the ranger.

"Wait, a human?" Kemero muttered to the man. He was taller then the ranger by half a head, and Kemero was considered pretty tall.

"No, guess again," the man replied in a cool, menacing voice. Kemero gulped. He could feel the heat of the blades tingle his throat.

"A person from this planet?" Kemero suggested. The man lowered his blades, and they suddenly disappeared and all that was left was the two handles. Kemero widened his eyes as the handles were sheathed. _People from this planet? Incredible!_

"This planet is called Ragol. So, I am guessing you are from the dying world of Earth?" the man asked, with a slight smirk tugging at his lips. Kemero nodded, but didn't like this guy's attitude. He seemed to feel proud and distant, not caring about much…yet Kemero could relate a little.

"I'm Kemero," the ranger greeted, pocketing his Varista.

"General Armos Wreathen of Ragol," Armos replied without a hint of enthusiasm. "Anyways, I was sent to take you or whoever leads you humans, and take him to our leader to negotiate."

Kemero never believed in affections at first sight, but that quickly changed. He believed in hate at first sight now, and Armos was definitely the sight.

"I'll take you to the Principal," Kemero muttered and walked to the other direction. Armos followed, his arms crossed, and appeared deep in thought. Kemero plucked the communicator from his belt and put his mouth next to the speaker.

"Principal, you will never believe this…,"

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Yay! The two main characters finally meet! I am so happy! (Hugs Armos)

Armos: Stop Hugging Me!

Mr.Who2123: No, you're too CUTE!

Armos: (sigh) What's the use?

(7/13/07- I have revised the chapter. Enjoy!)


	4. Unknown Powers

Mr.Who2123: P.S.O. is not mine…sniff

Armos: hehehehehe, well enjoy.

* * *

"WHAT!" Kemero's ears were severely wounded from the Principal yelling as loud as he could in the communicator. "NATIVES? BUT WE SENT A PROBE AND FOUND NOTHING!" he continued to scream. Kemero held the communicator a foot away from him, wincing at every word that came from it.

"Uh…Armos, here you go," Kemero said as quickly as possible and threw the communicator at Armos, who caught off surprise, jumbled it with his hands for a minute.

"Um, hi, I am Armos a Regallion. Are you the Principal?" Armos said nervously. Kemero smirked at the awkward silence that followed, and started laughing when the human leader did respond. The poor little machine nearly broke as the Principal asked 1001 questions.

"Hello, are you the leader? How come our probes didn't find you? Is this a joke? Are you advanced in technology? How come you speak the same language as us?" the questions droned on and on while Armos, looking quite pitiful, just gaped at the communicator.

"All I can say id that I am just a representative and that this isn't a joke," Armos replied, answering little of the questions. Before the Principal could respond, Armos shut down the communicator and threw it at the giggling Kemero. It bounced off his head and fell to the soft floor, and Kemero quickly picked it up again.

"Man, your leader gives me a headache. How do you live with him? Such a nuisance," Armos thought out loud and continued to head for the Pioneer ships which were now in sight. Their silver tips rose above the tall grass, and Armos had to part the plants to see the rest of them.

Kemero, who heard the comment, took offense from the general. The Principal had an infamous reputation of wanting to know everything, and when he found something new, he became crazy, but he was a great person.

"He's not a nuisance," Kemero muttered back, eyeing Armos. Armos rolled his eyes.

"He almost broke my eardrum. He is annoying!" Armos argued.

"He was excited!"

"That was too crazy to just be excited. I think he has problems,"

"WHAT? Don't say that about him!" Kemero yelled.

"Do you say that because he is your leader or because he pays you?" Armos smirked at Kemero.

"That is IT!" Kemero pulled the strap around his chest and pulled his giant gun onto his right shoulder with his hand on the trigger. Armos stopped walking and stared at the gun.

"Don't even bother. You couldn't get me before. How do you expect to get me now?" Armos stated and continued his way towards the refugees. Kemero's hand was halfway down the trigger, and he yearned to pull the rest of it. _But this guy will probably kill me if I did,_ he thought. Without thinking, Kemero's hand slipped and pulled the rest of the trigger, and energy charged in the barrel of it. Kemero gasped, Armos stopped briefly to glance at the gun before shrugging and ignoring the threat.

The blast finally charged and blasted straight for Armos. The small machines that rested above the general's shoulders began to glow as the beam came closer, and Armos turned to face it. Just as the bullet made contact with Armos' the little machines on top of Armos' shoulders began to shine brilliantly, and the blast was split; little remnants of it flew in all directions except for Armos. The impact gathered wind and dust, and smoke appeared, obscuring view. Kemero shielded his eyes from the dust, and the wind blew back his white hair.

When all was finally cleared, Kemero slowly opened his eyes and looked up to Armos. The general was dirty, yet unscathed, and his face showed singularly rage.

"What was that for?" he demanded, brushing his clothes. The little machines shook themselves and a rain of dust fell from them. Kemero glared at Armos and stubbornly folded his arms.

"You deserved it, you prideful jerk," Kemero replied with almost as much anger. Armos stopped and headed towards the ship again with a sneering Kemero behind him. _This guy is so prideful and judgmental. I hate people like him,_ he thought in his mind, repeating his thoughts on the general in his head.

* * *

"I am honored to meet you, General Armos," the Principal greeted, inclining his head slightly. Kemero stood behind his leader, facing the one he hated so much. Armos inclined his head as well with a serious expression pasted onto his face.

The three were isolated from the rest of the refugees, which had been taken under control by Caitlyn, who led them to building makeshift shelters and gathering food. Armos, Kemero, and the Principal were in a deep forest, far from the others, and Armos had made sure that no savage animals were nearby.

"My leader asked me to take you to him so we can compromise over what we are going to do. Kemero, you may come as well to represent the strength of the humans and as a representative of the humans," Armos explained, glancing many times at the ranger. "Are there any questions of the situation at hand?" A minute of silence passed and Armos nodded again.

"Well then, let me ask you something. Do you know what photon energy is?" Armos asked, and his eyes fixed on Kemero. Kemero stared back at Armos with a confused expression. His eyes were so…regretful that it made Kemero nearly feel sorry for him.

"No, we do not," the Principal answered for the two, and Kemero snapped back into reality. Armos adjusted his gaze back to the Principal after he replied.

"Photon is the energy of everything. It exists in every single thing in every single universe. It is the energy you use to do anything: breathe, stand, walk, talk, and so on. Now, we of Ragol, our planet, can take the energy from the air or things around us and use it to be able to utilize special abilities that cannot be performed without photon," Armos explained. Kemero nodded, but was puzzled by the abilities that could be used.

"What exactly can you do after absorbing photon?" Kemero asked. Armos regarded him and folded his arms.

"It lets us use, in your terms, magic. Observe," Armos lifted one of his hands and pointed it at a rock. The general closed his eyes, and focused his photon while Kemero and the Principal watched in sheer amazement. The rock began to rumble, and then thunder burst out of it, shooting skyward until it hit the clouds. Loud rumbles were heard, and the thunder clapped and exploded with crisp bursts.

When the show was finished and the thunder dispersed, Kemero and the Principal returned their gazes to Armos who had folded his arms again.

"That is an example of zonde, the thunder element. The elements that can be formed by photon are foie, which is fire, barta, which is ice, zonde, which is thunder, and resta which is healing. Now, the reason I told you this is because," Armos stopped and outstretched his hand once more.

A glowing red light appeared on the floor and widened to about the circumference of a full grown person. "We will travel by a photon teleporter."

Once again, the humans were struck with awe, and Armos shook his head and amusement at their expressions.

"Amazing!" the Principal exclaimed and took a step towards the energy, but was stopped by Armos.

"Let me finish, please. This will take us to our capital, Corgrassa in an instant. You might feel sick, but it is over with in only a few seconds. Are you ready?" Armos finished. Kemero nodded and the Principal took another step.

"Yes we are. I will go first," the Principal replied and hurried towards the energy teleporter. As soon as he stepped in, the light at his feet grew brighter until he was covered in brilliant light. When the light died once more, the Principal was gone, and it was Kemero's turn.

The same happened with the ranger as he stepped inside and felt himself being lifted slowly, then suddenly falling through red lights. His sight blurred, and felt as though he was tumbling over himself over and over. His stomach lurched and pain filled his head until it abruptly stopped, and he was on his feet again, except in a new place.

People walked by, almost never glancing at the newcomers, dirty and tired, and with strange clothes. Above them, thin lines of energy patterned over the floor, and vehicles that were rounded would travel on them. Lights filled Kemero's sight, and the buildings were metallic and glowed with technology. The ranger gaped at the new sights, and then noticed his leader that stood next to him, yet not taking in the sights like Kemero was.

The Principal was bent over, and he clutched his chest as he breathed harshly. Kemero patted him on the shoulder and passed a reassuring glance to his leader.

"That was a strange trip," the Principal said, and Kemero nodded.

"I thought I was being torn apart," Kemero replied and smiled. The Principal straightened himself and sighed.

"So much has happened. It feels so weird," the Principal said, and Kemero nodded.

"It is to be expected," a voice behind them replied. Kemero nearly jumped and the Principal closed his eyes. Armos walked past them and turned to face them.

"Alright, let's go meet the old sage," he announced, and started walking towards a tall building that stood in the very heart of Corgrassa. It towered over the other buildings, and lights radiated all over it. On the very top, a room seemed to protrude from the side, and it looked like an oval.

"That is the building where the old man is," Armos explained when Kemero pointed out the protruding room. The ranger held his gaze on it until he felt the Principal pat him on the back.

_I have a feeling…that my life is going to be turned upside down,_ he thought.

"Well, let's go," Kemero muttered and followed Armos with the Principal at his side.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Well, this is a longer chapter than my other ones. I wanted to get the explaining and talking over with. ON WITH THE ACTION!

Armos: I sound like a jerk…

Mr.Who2123: Well, in exchange for super cool awesomeness and superior skills, I have to make you have flaws in your attitude.

Armos: Aw, man.


	5. The Horrid Fate of Decisions

Mr.Who2123: This wonderful game of evil and awesomeness…is not mine

Armos: Tsk.

* * *

Armos strode briskly through the crowded streets while Kemero and the Principal were left to struggle behind. The Principal was having much more luck than the ranger. Kemero backed away from a cluster of girls and hit his head against a metal wall, earning a few giggles from passer bys and a headache for the rest of the trip.

Fortunately for Kemero, Armos stopped in front of the large building and stretched his neck to catch sight of the top floor. The Principal quickly caught up and watched Kemero come up to the two after dodging another group of people. Kemero was rubbing his head when he finally stopped next to the Regallion, cursing about the pain.

"You could have been a little slower, you know," Kemero muttered. Armos glanced at Kemero, but ignored the comment and walked up to the front doors of the building, turning to face his audience.

"This is the headquarters for all of Ragol, where the old man and I live. First, we need to dress you in proper Regallion retire," he explained, glancing at the dirty clothes that the two wore. "Are you fine with that?" The Principal nodded and Kemero shrugged. "Alright, let's go to floor 7," and Armos walked inside the building, waiting only briefly for the Principal and Kemero to catch up.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Kemero tried asking, beginning to breathe heard. Armos sighed for a long while, keeping his eyes closed as they walked through a long hall decorated with velvet carpet and many flying robots that moved around in the hall.

"I just want to get this over with. I have much to think about," he replied, opening his eyes. Armos followed the path easily, knowing when to turn or not; he had been in this building too many times to count.

Soon enough, they stopped at a large door that shone with chrome metal.

"We'll go to floor three…" Armos thought out loud as the doors slid open and revealed a small, circular elevator. When he pressed the button with an unknown symbol on it, the transportation device moved with such speed that Kemero had to lean against a thin rail in the back of it.

Not more than a second later, the elevator door slid open again and the Regallion, followed by the two uneasy humans, turned right to another pair of doors. A sign was placed on the wall next to the blue doors, the language used was unknown, and the Principal became confused.

"Wait, you can speak our language, but you write in a different language…I don't understand," he said to Armos. The general considered the question and put his hand under his chin.

"Well, all Regallions have a microchip inserted onto their brains when young which makes them speak whichever language that is needed to communicate. Kemero was dumbfounded.

"That is amazing technology!" he exclaimed. The Regallions didn't mess around with technology, that was for sure.

"Yeah, pretty amazing for you guys, huh? Right now, we are working on capsules for your people as well. They create makeshift shelters with necessities inside it. They are originally the size of a pill, but when the button on it is pressed, it can grow to the size of a mansion," he explained. Armos opened the doors after answering and beckoned them to come inside. :this is the clothes shop," Armos said.

Inside, there were only dressing rooms and a manager, but where were the clothes to choose from? Armos only laughed when Kemero asked his thoughts and walked up to a small ring in the middle of the room that Kemero didn't notice.

"I'll show you. Racks of clothes? How inconvenient," he said and knelt down next to the circle while Kemero, directed by Armos, stepped onto the ring itself. He was raised a couple inches off the ground, and when Armos activated the circle, he felt even more elevated.

The machine beeped and a blue light came from the circle's perimeter.

Armos punched in a few more buttons before looking up at Kemero.

"Color," he stated. Kemero blankly stared at him.

"Of what?"

"Clothes, idiot. I'm getting ranger clothes. Color!" he elevated his voice when he said color again.

"Black," Kemero replied, not thinking. _Dang it, I wanted dark blue._

"Secondary," Armos blurted again. Kemero stared at him again. The general rolled his eyes. "Secondary color." Armos was irritated, and he showed it well enough to make Kemero uneasy.

"White," he replied. Armos pushed a large switch on the side of the ring and the color of the light changed from dull blue to violent red. Armos then grabbed the glove on his right hand and slipped it off, revealing a hand, red with the heat, but what Kemero noticed was a deep black scar in his palm that traced the main vain in the hand. Armos placed his hand on the ring and the light grew brighter. Slowly, just like the teleporter, the light engulfed Kemero, and when it died down, his clothes had change to proper Regallion attire.

His suit was mainly black and contained many devices that allowed communication and protection from enemies. Kemero widened his eyes at his hands, with tight black gloves, and slowly observed the rest of his new clothes. He smiled wide at the Principal who smiled back.

"You look like one of us," Armos observed. "I would be fooled." Kemero jumped off the ring and watched as his leader had the same procedure.

"Color," Armos said.

"Green,"

"Secondary,"

"Yellow," the Principal answered.

"I'm giving you a lord's attire, alright? It will give you some respect from others," Armos explained, pushing the switch and placing his scarred hand onto the ring. Once again, Kemero was amazed with the results. The Principal had a long robe on with a beautiful design on the front. The collar reached up to his head in the back, and Kemero wondered how it stayed like that.

Armos glanced at the two and nodded with approval. Quickly, he slipped the glove back on and pressed a switch on the ring and turned off the dim blue light.

"You look great. The old man will like this. They feeling fine?" he asked while nonchalantly strolling down to the exit.

Kemero nodded and the Principal adjusted a collar of his sleeve, then approved.

The three were soon back in the elevator and Armos scanned the columns of button until he rested his fingers on the largest switch. The elevator moved slowly this time, and since the walls were a clear maetal, Kemero and the Principal had a clear view of the whole city.

_It reminds me of New York in the 2nd generation of technology,_ he thought. Lights filled the city as far as the eye could see. Colorful billboards, lines for vehicles, or the lights of homes decorated the city like a tree decorated for Christmas.

"Hey, what was that scar on your hand?" Kemero found himself blurting. The image popped into his head at that moment and he couldn't resist asking.

Armos' dark eyes pasted onto Kemero, glazed and fearful.

"A past experience," he replied with the unusual fearful demeanor. Did he unlock a fearful memory? Or the pain of a lost loved one? Before Kemero could even ask again, the elevator stopped on the highest floor, and the lights of the city were nothing but dots of twinkling lights.

* * *

_The energy filled claw came thrashing down upon the general. With little hope, Armos lifted his hand in protection as the dimenian struck right into the open palm of Armos. Ear splitting screams came from him as he forced his bloody palm out of the burning claw._ _Steam came from his hand, and green oozed from the open burn._

_With his left hand, Armos lifted his large sword and slammed it into the dimenian, felling it with the blow. The sword dropped from the general's hand as he fell to his knees, clutching the hand. The tendons and muscles were ripping and it would not be long until the bone split and he would lose a hand._

* * *

Mr.Who2123: that is all…(yawn) tired…

Armos: Wow, that scar would HURT! Oh, and review, you few P.S.O. writers!


	6. Death Pours into the Innocent

Mr.Who2123: Is it just me or are there like no P.S.O reviewers? REVIEW please! No further comment. I still don't own P.S.O. but I'm working on it.

Armos: What?

Mr.Who2123: Just joking!

* * *

Kemero walked out of the elevator and was disappointed. All that was shown was a thin, _wooden_, hallway that creaked as the visitors walked through them. Oaken doors with delicate designs were on the other side and made Kemero think of Earth.

"Why is it so simple?" he asked, feeling the weak wood. It could collapse any minute by the feeling of it. Armos shrugged and approached the doors.

"I guess he wanted something that represented life. He said that in life, there are risks. I bet this means there's a risk that this hallway will collapse," he said bluntly, smirking, and knocked harshly on the doors. _I don't think it would suit him as a leader to die when these halls break and lose life before he hits the ground,_ he added in his thoughts.

"Come in," a cracking, yet strong voice rang back. Kemero had a thousand images pop into his head. The sage sounded like he was 120 years old by his voice. Maybe it was a turtle? Armos pushed the oaken doors open and an elderly man looked up from his desk, rather _desks_ filled with paper. Books littered the floor and pictures surrounded them, usually scenery or famous people's portraits. His white hair reached to his ears and his white and blue robes shifted as he stood up. Kemero gawked as he walked up without needing a cane although he took a long staff but if it wasn't for support.

"Welcome to Ragol. I trust that General Armos of Regallion Army had treated you well," he greeted. _No, he treated us like we were nothing. I hate his freaking guts, old man_, his thoughts screamed at him, but contrast to his real feelings, he nodded in agreement. The Principal cracked a smile and inclined his head in honor.

"We thank you for your incredible kindness, Master Sage," he replied courteously. Kemero could have sworn that Armos snorted, but it was probably his mind playing tricks.

"We of Ragol never fail to help those in need. I assume that you would like to form an alliance with our people for…_both_ our benefits, I am sure?" he asked. Kemero's neck hairs rose at the word both. How could he benefit from a bunch of refugees? Just then, Armos gave a fearful look at Kemero, as if trying to say something, like a thousand secrets would burst that second, looking for a comfort. The look in his deep, dark eyes made Kemero shiver and Armos retreated his stare.

The Principal inclined his head again in agreement and the Sage nodded.

"Armos, go to floor 17 and get the files concerning alliances and differences," he ordered. Armos strode out, never glancing back. _Differences? Of what?_ Kemero was utterly confused and he yearned to just go out in the wild and shoot something.

* * *

"I had to give him that look!" Armos yelled at no one as the elevator moved down to the correct floor. He let out a stream of curses and calmed himself down when the elevator stopped. Armos walked out and entered a constricted door without heeding the warning of violators.

Armos easily found the documents and left to go back into the elevator.

"It's not like my life depends on him…or…that cursed wall will kick in?" he said, unusually calm, scaring himself. He kicked the elevator which didn't yield in the slightest. "My life is screwed up, and it's thanks to that stupid human, Kemero!"

* * *

Armos walked inside the Sage's office once more, handing the papers to the old leader. He glanced at the files to confirm they were correct, and then beckoned for all of them to gather around the only desk with nothing on it.

"You will have to read and agree that when we ally that your people belong to us and we will completely shelter, help occupy, and feed your people. You will become a member of the Five, which decide laws and best choices for our people. Kemero, you will share a house with Armos and become Second General. Is this understandable?" he read, now watching the two.

Kemero fell into complete dread. Live…with **_ARMOS?_** Kemero knew the old guy was crazy, or stupid at least to think that the two would even stand each other for one day…no, hour with each other. Armos, however, didn't complain, and Kemero forced himself to remain silent as well. _For everyone on Earth, I should cooperate_, he muttered mentally.

"Now, the differences I was talking about. It just shows the difference between us and you in general," the Sage continued. "One, we can channel photon while cannot, two, we have no potential to grow better or stronger from failures or weaknesses while you can-," Kemero gasped. So they were the same and couldn't improve? The Principal glanced at Kemero with uneasiness. The Sage noticed the concern but continued. "Third, our hearing, sight, and abilities are three times as strong than an average human, and fourth, we do not contain the ability to reproduce or give birth as you say." He finished. Kemero gasped sharply.

"Then how do you survive?" Kemero asked in a completely shocked tone, his face splattered with pouring amazement. The sage glanced at Kemero and cleared his throat.

"I forgot to mention that we do not die," he said simply, and Kemero nearly ripped out his white hair.

"WHAT!" he yelled. The human leader grabbed Kemero by the shoulder and turned him so he had to face the Principal.

"Listen, this would be expected. They are completely different life forms. Now _calm down!_" he hissed, though not loudly. Armos, with amusement, shook his golden hair and the Sage watched, unsurprised by the ranger's reaction. Kemero shamefully turned back to the two Regallions, not uttering another word.

"Do you agree with our terms and understand our differences?" the Sage asked calmly. The Principal considered. Kemero, with a dark attitude, thought against this. _Our terms were to basically hand over our people and be controlled by these freaks. I don't like this,_ he thought.

"Yes, we agree," he heard the Principal say. Kemero forced a smile with all his strength as the leader signed the alliance and the terms were met. Armos took the signed sheet and walked out of the room, speaking before he closed the door.

"Alright, Kemero, our room is on floor 175, don't forget, and Principal, you are on floor 160. I will gather your people, inform them, and bring them into our vacant houses, alright? Some will have to use the makeshift homes, but not for long. See you," he called and closed the doors. Kemero stared where Armos was seconds ago.

"Principal, your people are safe with us and you must be tired. Why don't you rest? Same for you, young ranger. If you would like, the 5th floor is for training, and you may go there as well. All the other rooms are _strictly_ forbidden until I allow it. Have a nice new life, my friends," he said, and returned to the task at hand. As the two left, the old man looked over the files he was searching until he stopped dead on a sentence.

"Dimenians are back and Armos will be taken for questioning," he read out loud. He shivered at the thought of the last interrogation.

* * *

_Armos sat in a single wooden chair, a light shining directly onto him, while everything else was black as a starless night. He was about fifteen, and his hair was not as long as it is now. There was no sign of any life besides him, yet he could hear a voice sound from all around him._

_"Can you tell us about the ruin?" it asked in an emotionless tone. Armos considered, and then spoke._

_"I don't remember much…I actually don't remember any of it…besides a wall with pictures and strange markings," he replied, cowering in his own words. The Sage, watching the interrogation, was saddened as the young man held his sides, nearly crying from the mention of his time inside of it. He couldn't watch, yet the questions continued._

_"What was on the wall, Armos?" it asked in the same emotionless voice. The computer voiced the questions, creating a dead tone all around. Even as a teenager, Armos buried his hands in his face and tears streamed down._

_"It was…" he gasped, choking on his tears. The sage couldn't bear to listen and turned off the sound switch just as Armos began to bawl, and nothing was a comfort to him._

"Please answer," the computer voiced and Armos calmed down slightly.

"A picture of…a g…," he screamed in terror and continued to cry. The Sage considered breaking the computer and comforting the boy that he had raised, yet his feet were planted on the floor, and he turned on the voice switch once again, listening to the terrorized boy cry until his tears dried up, and he was left to scream until the interrogation ended.

* * *

Armos: Okay, either I am psycho, or that wall was evil!

Mr.Who2123: Dude, that wall IS evil. It creeps ME out to think about it.

Kemero: No one talks about me!

Armos: Everyone likes me more, stupid human.

Kemero: KILL! (Chases Armos around with his bazooka)


	7. Getting Used to New Customs

Mr.Who2123: You know what I'm going to say, so I won't say it. I don't own Sega.

Armos: You said it.

Mr.Who2123: Be quiet.

* * *

"Another interrogation?" the Sage asked his attendant, Kruffca. The attendant nodded solemnly, remembering the results of the last one. Kruffca pushed his graying hair behind his ear and shifted his glasses nervously.

"Dimenians have appeared all around the ruin, and that wall he talks about might give us a clue," the attendant defended. The Sage inclined his head hesitantly; afraid of what results might happen.

"When should we hold it?" Kruffca asked before opening the door. The Sage considered a moment.

"Tomorrow…I want it over with," he replied, trying to sound calm. Kruffca nodded and left the Sage to his thoughts. _What will happen this time? _His mind asked himself hundreds of times while he finished his work.

* * *

_Two hunters, one holding an unconscious child, were escaping from a group of monsters. Their photon filled claws threatened to kill them as the hunters parried off an attack from one of the bright claws. The Dimenians claws reached down to their legs, and they were black, except for the bright photon that coursed through their veins._

_"Get the child to the sage. I'll hold them for as long as I can!" one yelled, blocking another threatening claw. The other glanced sidelong at his partner, and then nodded. "Don't die, we need that kid for intelligence," he said more calmly, continuing to block for his life. The second began to run, and the child woke up._

_"It's no use," he whispered into the hunter's ear. He stopped briefly to glance at the child. "They will come back and take me no matter what."_

* * *

Armos placed the alliances into a history file, placing them in the front and marking the date. His gaze caught a different file that lay on a table, and the general let his curiosity take over. He picked up the files and scanned the contents.

"The Dimenians are back now," he read, whispering. "So they still want me…after nineteen years." Armos neatly placed the files back on the desk and walked out towards the elevator. He continued until he reached his floor and walked inside. He found Kemero snoring on one of the beds, and happened to be Armos' bed, and the ranger was drooling on it.

"Why, may I ask, are you sleeping on MY BED?" he yelled. Kemero opened his eyes sluggishly, and wiped his mouth.

"Sorry," he sneered, sitting up and looking at the wet spot of drool, and sniggering. Armos sighed and walked over to Kemero, slapping him on the head. Since a Regallion strength is three times as strong…

"OW!" Kemero moaned, quite loudly, and rubbed his head. It was Armos' time to laugh as Kemero did a little dance, mumbling and cursing. Finally composing himself, Kemero folded his arms stubbornly at Armos.

"Alright, let me clarify something. I hate you and you hate me, so stay off my stuff and I'll stay off yours," Kemero said. Armos rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"If you drool on anything else, I'll really give you something moan about," he replied. He strode over to a desk, pulled out a blank paper, and began to write. Kemero grabbed a gun and is polishing kit, and sat on his bed, rubbing the gun with trained fingers.

The two sat in silence for hours, ands it drove them nuts. Kemero felt daring and spoke up.

"So, what are you writing?" he asked.

"Nothing that has concern to you or your people," he replied bluntly, scribbling quickly.

"Why do you hate humans?" Kemero asked again, regretting his venture. The pen stopped abruptly and ink spread outwards on the page, messing up the word that the general was writing.

"I don't hate humans, I just don't understand how humans act yet, but I'm adjusting," Kemero now felt REALLY bad for venturing. He tried to make himself busy again and began to continue his own work, but he listened for any word that Armos might say. Once again, curiosity piped in.

"How are we different?" he asked. Armos turned his head to raise an eyebrow.

"It's kind of hard to explain. Humans need to understand everything to be satisfied and venture out, not knowing their places. We just do our job really, containing most of our thoughts inside. We aren't emotionless though," he replied. Kemero shrugged and placed his stuff back in his bag and taking out his VARISTA.

"I'm going to practice," he said, and left Armos. The general stood up and grabbed a giant blade that was in a closet, and took Kemero's polishing kit with a sneer.

"My blade needs a touch up and I don't think Kemero minds if I borrow it," he said to himself.

* * *

The elevator stopped at floor five, a smaller floor with less rooms, making it easier for Kemero to find the right one. He stopped at one of the rooms that was in a hallway and the ranger opened it up. It was completely bare except for a machine that was in the corner next to him. He walked up to it curiously and placed a hand on it. Immediately, it began to glow and beep, and Kemero staggered back.

"Kemero, Ranger class. Practice, level E," it said, and the room suddenly changed into a battlefield. It was a bare field of dirt, and broken war machines lay broken everywhere.

"It's like I'm actually in a war," he muttered, hiding behind a tank. "And the equipment looks like its from Earth. This planet might not be so bad after all." Suddenly, a bullet shot was heard and a beam passed right by him, missing by an inch. Kemero stumbled back and loaded his gun. Another shot and Kemero rolled out of the way and into the open where he saw his enemy. A robot had a gun arm, and was charging for another attack.

Kemero aimed and pulled the trigger as the shot was heard and blew the head off of the robot simulation. The robot fell with a clunk, but another shot was heard and hit Kemero in the foot.

He yelled in pain and turned around on his other foot, facing two more robots. With difficulty, he stepped away from two bullets and reacted with two shots of his own, each destroying the robots.

"A little harder than I…WOAH!" he fell onto the floor as a rocket sped over him and disintegrated a tank. An enemy tank rolled slowly by, aiming straight for Kemero. Cursing at his hurt foot, Kemero jumped away from another rocket, barely dodging it.

"This is level E?" he muttered, taking the bazooka that was strapped onto his back. Throwing it around, his torso, Kemero placed it on his shoulder and aimed at the tank. The tank was rolling closer, threatening to crush Kemero while he fiddled with the controls on the giant gun.

"Full charge, push this," he muttered, pushing certain buttons to load the beam. By now, the tank was only feet away.

"Hurry up…" he muttered, and finally pulled the giant trigger, and a beam hit the tank, knocking the laser off and almost toppling it over. Black covered the giant tank and the movement stopped, yet it wasn't fully destroyed.

Kemero loaded again, and after the second shot, the tank was smoldering and fully destroyed.

"Yes," he hissed and placed the gun behind him again. The room suddenly changed, and the illusion of the field disappeared, showing the bare room again. His damaged foot didn't even hurt, and he noticed the robot on the other side of the room now.

"Level E clear," it beeped, and then it stopped emitting light and turned off.

"Heh, this simulation thing is pretty cool," he said and left the room and back up.

* * *

Armos finished cleaning his giant blade and it glowed brilliantly and the steel looked new. He put the kit away in the place Kemero left it and placed the sword in the closet again.

A knock on the door was heard.

"Armos, it's the Sage," a voice called. Armos walked to the door and opened it to see the Sage standing there with a grim face.

"Alright, what's wrong?" he asked knowingly, a solemn expression creeping up his eyes.

"Another…" he stopped to take a breath. "…interrogation." Armos cast his eyes down, sighing.

"It's inevitable?" he muttered, receiving a nod. Armos clenched his fists, his eyes never leaving the ground.

"I must go now, Armos. It's at sun fall tomorrow, and please try to compose yourself…I cannot see you depressed," the Sage said, and walked out of the room, leaving a sullen general. Just then, Kemero walked in, seeing the sage leave and eyeing Armos who seemed deeply afraid.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked, glancing nervously at Armos who didn't even notice Kemero.

"Kemero, you should come with me," the Sage said, and headed for the elevator. Kemero shrugged and followed, before glancing again at his roommate.

* * *

In the elevator, it was deadly quiet. The leader of Ragol spoke after awhile, though.

"We interrogate Armos every 15-20 years to see if he can tell us what he saw in a ruin," he explained.

"Why do you need to keep doing it, though?" Kemero asked. "And why does he seemed so scared of it?" The Sage looked down at his shoes and sighed.

"We do it because he fails to answer the same question every time. He hates it because it brings up a memory that is so horrible that at age 15, he sobbed and screamed until we let him out." Kemero was horrified.

"You make him go through torture to answer a stupid question?" Kemero yelled, surprised at his defensiveness for someone he hated. The Sage glanced at him for awhile and made Kemero shift nervously until the elevator stopped.

"I am sorry, but this information is vital for the whole city's protection, Kemero. I want to share the recording of the interrogations and show you the history of Armos," the sage said and strode out of the elevator and into a room.

He fished through some unorganized boxes and grabbed a small microchip which had a strange marking on the front.

"Watch," he said, and inserted it into a VCR type looking thing and an image appeared a large screen.

There was a boy which looked like Armos, sitting alone in a room and it was pitch black except for the young boy. Kemero watched in horror as the boy cried and screamed until the interrogation ended and a pit filled his stomach.

"That's horrible," he whispered, and the Sage nodded in agonized understanding.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Well, we get to see Armos tortured twice!

Armos: Hey!

Kemero: Squee!

Mr.Who2123: Anyways, review, and thanks Skyhawk for placing info on this story in your profile!


	8. Live to Die With Shackles?

Mr.Who2123: Alright, this is when we have Armos more of the main character, but Kemero is just as important.

Armos: She owns nothing except me and Kemero…and this storyline.

Mr.Who2123: And the sage, Caitlyn, and- (speaks for hours amazingly.)

* * *

Kemero landed on the bed as soon as he came back from the trip with the Sage.

"Man, Armos' life has sucked," he muttered face down in his pillow. Armos was in the other bed, facing away, and listening.

"The pain is unbearable, Kemero. I want to kill myself," he replied, scaring the ranger out of his wits.

"You're awake?" Kemero asked, this time much more loudly. He then contemplated what his roommate just said.

"Well, have you ever been happy in your life?" Kemero asked. "When you think of a happy memory, then most of your pain leaves." A silence followed long after that.

"I've never been…happy," he answered, and no more words were spoken the rest of the night.

* * *

_"What is the meaning to live?"_ _Armos asked himself. A river flowed by, strange looking fish jumping out of the water, gleaming like a steel sword. The young hunter sat with his legs in front of him and his hands supporting his weight. One hand lifted and picked up a round stone and flung it into the river. It plunged into the water and sunk to the bottom, barely visible._

_"Do we live to die?" He picked up another stone and threw it at the river just like the first. This time, the rock skipped three times and landed on the other side of the water. "Or do we live to make the most of it and reach happiness?" Armos rested his head on his knees after he drew his legs close to himself. "And…how do we know when we are happy?"_

* * *

Armos walked through a simple door and into a completely black room except for a ray of light that shone down on a single chair in the middle of the room. A fearful memory crept up the hunter's mind as he took slow steps towards the chair. Flashes of the pain in his mind and the steep fear that took over him were making it hard for him to keep steady.

Five feet away…Armos clutched at his heart for a moment and had to steady himself on a wall before continuing. Two feet away…He reached for the chair and moved closer. Finally he sat down and sighed in deep relief. Walking felt like the hardest thing in the world at that moment.

"Or the terror in my head just makes me seem like a weakling," he added out loud. He pushed a thread of hair from his eyes and faced the front with an expressionless face, though his heart beat so loudly that it nearly hurt.

"Are you ready?" a voice boomed around the room. Armos immediately recognized the inhuman voice from when he was last interrogated, and nodded.

"Do you remember anything about the ruin you were in before you came?" it asked. _Can't think of a more creative way to approach the same thing? It gets boring._

"No, all I…"

Images flashed. A monster, with long claws, griping and reaching for something. What was it reaching for though? It moved closer to a trembling child.

**Bound…** words echoed, a long lost memory being pieced. **No…hope. **What were the words coming from? They rang clearly in Armos' head. Wait, was he really Armos? Yes, he was Armos, the hunter...but some part of his heart denied, some part of himself was not himself. It belonged somewhere else… **Bound…MINE!** Darkness enveloped him, and all that he could see was a claw reaching…reaching for him…

* * *

Kemero was in his room, carelessly checking things out. Armos had left for the questioning, and the sage insisted that Kemero not come, but it would be over quickly. An hour had passed, but neither had come at all. The silence drove Kemero nuts and he began to think out loud.

"Where could they be? The old sage said no longer than half an hour. It's been longer than that," he muttered. Kemero paced back and forth hurriedly and was beginning to get worried. "I shouldn't worry. I couldn't care less about that arrogant freak. Why am I so worried?" his thoughts kept moving back and forth along with his pacing until a knock broke the ranger's deep thoughts. He opened the door, expecting to see Armos, but it was Caitlyn, the scientist of Earth.

"Hi, Kemero," she greeted and walked in, making herself comfortable.

"Caitlyn? Shouldn't you be asleep? It's late," Kemero replied bluntly. Caitlyn shook her head grimly.

"I came here to show you something," she brought her voice lower and beckoned him to sit next to her. A handful of papers were stuffed in her hands, and she handed them over. Kemero took them awkwardly and began to read. He widened his eyes and never brought them lower until he looked back up at Caitlyn.

'Why did you show me this?" he asked harshly. Caitlyn closed her eyes for an instant, searching for the correct words to handle the conversation.

"Well, the sage should have shown you, but he didn't and I thought you should know," she replied, defending her position. Kemero skimmed over it once more and tossed the papers to Caitlyn. They scattered everywhere on the floor and the scientist shoveled them into her hands.

"Is that true?" Kemero asked a mere whisper. Caitlyn shook her head again and her hair fell loosely in front of her face.

"Bloodshed everywhere we go. On Earth, people fought needlessly, killing the weak and demanding more. Their thirsts were unable to be quenched. On Ragol, bloodshed comes when Dimenians appear. It's all too horrible," she murmured. Kemero looked down at his hands which were rested on his legs.

The file…Dimenians appeared thousands of years ago and 50 years after, a great war between the two had occurred. The same happened one thousand years later, and again the next century. Dimenians have appeared now, and Ragol would mostly likely erupt into war.

"Thanks for showing me that, Caitlyn," Kemero finally said after a long silence. Caitlyn half smiled and stood up abruptly.

"I need to show this to the Principal as well. I will see you tomorrow, Kemero," she said and left the room and let Kemero sort his thoughts.

* * *

Light…so much light had come all at once that Armos could barely open his eyes. **No hope…** the words were barely a whisper, a thin whistle in the wind, but Armos heard it before the voice disappeared.

"Armos, oh thank god you're awake!" a familiar voice of the Sage rang.

"What happened?" he asked weakly, feeling more dizzy than weak, though. "I was in the room and something happened," Armos caught his breath. The memory came back, the only memory besides the picture of the wall.

"You just passed out suddenly and fell. You have been out cold for a couple hours," the Sage explained. Armos closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"I'm going to get some rest in my room," he stated a moment later. With regained senses and the rest, Armos felt much better once he got up and left.

"Hey, old man…" Armos started.

"I am the Sage, not "old man"," the Sage interrupted with an annoyed look.

"_Sage_, I…I think the Dimenians are coming to begin war," he said. A pit had stayed in his gut ever since the Sage had announced that Dimenians have been seen and growing in numbers. Sometimes one or two came out, but ten were always stationed at the entrance, and tension had increased within everyone that knew.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore," he replied and walked out.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Okay, I TOTALLY changed the feeling of the story after a decision. This will be more based on hope and dealing with internal struggles and fate, rather than my other plot. It will be SAD and SCARY so get a box of tissues while you can.

Armos: Oh, so now I can't be happy?

Mr.Who2123: Well, don't worry. It will be better. Oh, and Armos is the main subject for the most part of this story as well.

Kemero: Well, at least I can be happy!

Mr.Who2123: Review, please!


	9. New Training, New Friend

Mr. Who2123: This one's for you, Skyhawk!

Armos: Why do I act like an idiot in this story?????

Kemero: Look at me! I can't even beat Level E!

Armos: …that is kind of sad…well, Mr.Who2123 doesn't own P.S.O. PEOPLE WHO ARE READING THIS…REVIEW!!! I BEG YOU!

Mr.Who2123: Onwards!

* * *

Kemero didn't even TRY to ask how Armos was. He knew he'd screw up the second he opened his mouth. Kemero brooded over the possibilities of the interrogation until the door swung open. As Armos came in their room, though, Kemero couldn't help but stare at the ghastly look in his comrade's eyes. His mags followed him, and made a strange noise, meant to comfort their friend. The ranger sympathized with Armos, expecting that the interrogation must have been horrible, but it would kind of difficult to believe the strongest man alive would cry.

Armos walked through the silent room, but stopped next to Kemero and closed his eyes, never seeing or noticing Kemero. The silence of the room seemed to last forever, closing around the two fighters like a circle of enemies to ambush.

"We practice tonight," the words broke the silence and scared Kemero so much that he jumped. Only at this time, Kemero forgot what he was thinking a little earlier.

"What happened?" he asked, uncertainty ringing through his voice. Armos opened his eyes and turned them to Kemero. They offered no hostility whatsoever, but the emptiness in his eyes filled Kemero with dread. Armos sat on the bed next to Kemero and sighed deeply. It almost seemed to shrug off the dread around him.

"Fell unconscious," he said simply, yet so darkly, it was almost like a threat. "I also heard some weird voice in my head. It actually kind of scared me." _Why did I just say that to him? I should be telling this to the old man, not this guy, _Armos brooded as he spoke. Kemero widened his eyes at the response.

"What did it say?" Kemero ventured, but all he gained was a shake of Armos' golden hair.

"N…Nothing," Armos answered and abruptly stood up. Kama floated after him as he grabbed a giant blade of steel and slung it across his back. "Let's forget this. I do and you should, too. We have a more pressing subject to discuss anyways." _More pressing?_ Kemero wondered with exhaustion.

"I'm almost sure Dimenians are going to attack soon," Armos started. He had all of his armor on, which was a small magic barrier over Kama, a strange, yet very thin armor beneath his long coat, and a magic shield for himself, which Kemero had questioned before because it was invisible, and Armos explained it was around his whole body and only appeared when something tried to strike him. His Photon blades were on his sides and his metal blade was on his back.

"That's why we should train. I'll give you some armor for yourself. Here." Armos threw a very small device which clipped onto his belt. It was very slim on one side, but as long as the hilt of a dagger. The magic shield was completely black and blended with his black outfit. Following the instruction of the Regallion general, Kemero turned the device on, and a very dim light began to glow from it. Kemero waited a few seconds for something to happen, but the light just dimmed out.

"I'm not sure this is worki-AHH!" Armos had his giant blade out and swung it in a flash on Kemero who crouched, expecting the blow. Instead, blue transuculent diamonds completely surrounded him and blocked the blade completely. It was resting on top of the shield, inches away from Kemero.

"Are you sure it works now?" Armos asked with annoyance. Kemero just nodded, and after, sighed deeply. Armos brought away the blade and the shield disappeared, diamonds and all.

"Now let's go, I'm worried about the Dimenians and want to do this as soon as possible," Armos said and opened the door. Kemero gave Armos his worst look and grabbed his two guns, and followed.

* * *

"You've been here before, right?" Armos asked quickly, entering the enormous empty room. Kemero instantly remembered the simulator and nodded. The ranger watched Armos push a few buttons, and then the simulator suddenly opened a compartment on the side of it, revealing a keyboard with foreign keys. Kemero watched Armos type in keys as quick as lightning, then the keyboard closed into the side again.

"What was that?" Kemero asked as Armos clicked the power button. The simulator answered for him.

"Personal training for Armos Wreathen, Level S+," it said in a monotone voice. Kemero didn't feel too good anymore.

"Can't we go a little lower? Maybe just level B?" Kemero pleaded. Armos completely ignored the pleas as the atmosphere changed, revealing a dark, no BLACK ruin with only a light from his glowing mags, a teal light in darkness. Kemero grabbed his guns and urgently looked around for enemies. Armos stepped right next to Kemero and whispered,

"They're coming. Don't let your guard down." Kemero gulped and loaded his gun. Kemero couldn't hear anything but his heartbeat, which sounded so loud, it might burst. Armos pulled out his blades, another teal glow that matched his mags.

"Where are they?" Kemero asked softly, pointing his gun in places he thinks he hears a sound. The next moment moved like a blur for Kemero. Armos became a dancing light, slashing at invisible beasts with ultimate grace, and Kemero was seeing his shield glowing as green slaws struck at him.

Kemero yelled, then pointed his gun and shot at a beast, seeing its face for a flash, and it was gone, on the floor. It, in fact, had no face except for a long pointy snout that had photon energy run through it to its enormous claws.

"Your shield is going to break, get out of the way!" Kemero heard Armos yell as Kemero began to shoot every claw he could see. There were masses of them, too many of them to count, and Armos seemed pleased to fell them in one slice, killing five at a time. Kemero backed to a wall and shot every creature he could, jumping away when he had to reload, and hearing the inhuman screams that came from the beasts.

"What are these?" Kemero screamed, becoming overpowered at the growing number of monsters. His shield seemed to grow dim, and Kemero shot as many monsters as he could to try and escape from the wall he was backed against.

"It doesn't matter! Kill them!" he heard from Armos who had taken out his metal blade now and sliced ten Dimenians in half with one blow.

"I'm trying! I'm TRYING!!" Kemero screamed, shooting as much as he could, but there were too many. Then, the world fell apart as he heard a SHATTER like a glass cup being dropped on stone. He saw the tiny blue diamonds shatter, and a world of pain fell upon him. Claws ripped at his skin at every moment, paining him like no other. He kept shooting, but as one fell, two would take the place and come at him.

"I can't do this!" Kemero cried to Armos, but it was lost in the sea of noise. As Kemero kept shooting for his life, a shining claw cut the weapon in half, and Kemero was defenseless. He tried to grope for the bazooka, but his strength was fading. Kemero couldn't stand, and fell back towards the wall behind him, and made a sitting position. A claw cut open his forehead to his chest, red covering Kemero. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, he could only feel pain, immense pain that burned him inside out.

Pain left suddenly, either from insanity, or from the Dimenians that stopped attacking and turned to a brilliant light, like no other. Rainbows of light came up and a figure, larger than anything appeared in the light, and Kemero saw Armos beneath the figure, covered in blood, but not his own. It was purple, and his blade was soaked in it as well. He had a his free hand out towards the Dimenians that were all over Kemero, and the brilliant light grew brighter until all he could see was Armos, who seemed black in the immense light.

Then all went dark, and all the Dimenians were dead on the floor, purple blood forming puddles all around the bodies. Suddenly, the room began to grow lighter, and Kemero could see himself, covered in red, until the simulator began to take away the cuts and blood away from their bodies. As the room began to turn back to the blank and empty one, Kemero noticed he was shaking madly, and could barely walk straight.

"Good job," Armos said, grinning at Kemero. Kemero was completely caught off guard at the compliment and just nodded, trying to smile, which must have looked fake because Armos shook his head with the smile still on him.

"What was that light?" Kemero asked, curious.

"Kama. They were angry when they saw you fall, and they charged their photon blast in no time, using it on the enemies on you. A few more seconds, and you would have been warped back here to signify your failing of the training," Armos explained. Kemero smiled at the mags which stared at him with strange looking eyes.

"What were those monsters?" Kemero asked as they left the training room. "They were strong like nothing I've seen before." Armos hesitated before he gave his answer.

"…Dimenians. The monsters we are going to fight soon," he answered grimly. Kemero remembered seeing their grotesque claws swipe at him, and sent a shiver down his spine.

"Another question," Kemero started again. "Can I get a mag?" Armos stopped and cocked his head slightly.

"A mag? Well, it would be good to have one, but they're hard to handle. Will you commit to having one?" Armos asked, continuing to the elevator.

"Of course, I want someone helping me through tough times, like Kama," Kemero answered. Armos nodded and walked with Kemero into the elevator. He pushed a different key than their own floor and explained it was the lab that studies mags and other photon creatures. The elevator was silent until the elevator stopped and Kemero saw hundreds of mags flying around a huge lab, making strange noises. Scientists were writing down information or just watching the magnificent robots fly around.

"Excuse us," Armos said, and most of the scientists turned to them. Most of them nodded of bowed their heads formally for Armos. "We would like a mag for the Assistant General Kemero." One scientist with long black hair and glasses walked up to Kemero and studied his face with squinted eyes that seem to analyze everything they see.

"You are proud, aren't you," he said suddenly, throwing Kemero off guard again. Armos folded his arms and smiled knowingly.

"That's Dr. Raoma Knieosis, the head scientist in this department. He has a strange ability to read character with his eyes," Armos explained, his eyes filled with humor. "Every time he said I was a proud enigma before I became general."

"You are a proud human who enjoys shooting, eating, and helping others, am I correct?" Dr. Knieosis said. "I know who should be your partner." The scientist turned back and whistled with a high pitch tone that nearly hurt Kemero's ears. A very tiny circle of a mag came up right next to the ranger's forehead. It was a white light with a miniscule yellow circle eye in the middle.

"That is Asparus, your new mag," Dr. Knieosis said with a smirk.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Yay! Longer!

Armos: Well, at least I have awesome sword skills.

Kemero: I have a mag! YIPPEE!

Armos: I have a better mag…

Kemero: You're so HURTFUL!

Armos: Hehehe…

Mr.Who2123: Well, review.


	10. Rebel Attack

Mr.Who2123: Can't…stop…thinking of P.S.O…must write MORE!

Armos: Caught the bug, eh?

Mr.Who2123: Bug? BUG?? WHERE?!

Armos: Well, anyways, Mr.Who2123 doesn't own P.S.O. or anything like that.

Mr.Who2123: BUG! BUG! GET IT OFF ME!!

Kemero: Lemme find the bug!

Armos: (sweat drop)

* * *

Kemero stared at his new partner with intensity as it floated around him. They were still in the lab, and Kemero wouldn't stop asking questions about mags.

"Why is this one so small compared to Armos'?" Kemero asked, glancing momentarily at the teal robots that floated above Kemero. Dr. Knieosis shifted his glasses before answering.

"I'm not quite sure myself, actually. I would love to study Armos and his effect on Kama, but he refuses every time. I can't even see those mags for a minute without him catching and getting worked up over it," he answered, shooting a quick glare at Armos, who just sneered back. The scientist turned red with anger and snorted with frustration.

"Does this thing eat?" Kemero asked, smiling as the mag floated around his head and nearly made itself dizzy.

"They feed on the photon that exists in the air, so they don't need anything from you, but if you do feed them, I heard that they grow stronger. I would suggest feeding it monomates," Dr. Knieosis explained. "I'm sure you don't know what monomates are, so I'll tell you. They are small metal spheres that are swallowed to heal wounds or increase the health of someone. Mags have a liking to those things." Kemero nodded continuously, considering the scientist's explanation.

"Alright, I'll try it," he replied, content. Armos turned around quickly and opened the door without another word, and Kemero followed.

"I don't like that guy. He wanted to dissect one of the mags of Kama," he said angrily. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants and it bugs me." Kemero just shrugged.

"Sure he was a little quirky, but he seems nice," Kemero replied uncertainly. _Although dissecting one of these little guys sounds like evil to me also, _he added in his head while absently touching Asparus. The two made it in the elevator and set it to their floor a few floors above.

"You like your mag?" Armos asked in the silence of the elevator. Kemero just shrugged.

"I've only been with him for a couple minutes, but he is pretty cool," Kemero replied. "I'm sure you like Kama, right?"

"Yeah, they're the only thing I can depend on without a doubt that they will help me out. Kama used to be small just like Asparus until I was with him for a couple years. I think I know what really makes them grow strong," Armos replied.

"What?" asked Kemero curiously.

"Love. I've loved Kama since I've got them and my affection makes them strong," he replied. It was silent in the elevator for a minute after that, and it halted to their floor. Inside their room, Kemero fell on the bed and enjoyed the brief comfort until he felt a tap on his back. He looked up to see Armos with his arms folded and a frustrated expression evident on his face.

"You're starting to drool on my bed again," he said, annoyed, and pointed to a small dark spot where Kemero's mouth was. "Get off my bed before I get mad." Kemero slumped off the bed and jumped on his own, not even noticing that he was drooling on his bed after a few seconds.

"He's a quick sleeper," Armos muttered. "He should get his rest. We're going over intense training tomorrow."

* * *

"What are we going to do?" the Sage asked his council, whom the Principal was in. "Armos thinks that the Dimenians are going to attack and we probably won't be able to handle them." One council member stood up. She had black, blue hair tied in a low ponytail and had a long white coat on, as if she was a scientist.

"We shouldn't trust Armos this much. He's been acting strange and said he wasn't sure if this would happen at all. I say we increase our defense, but I don't think they'll attack," she stated. The Sage considered her words for a moment and motioned that she sit down by waving his hand at her chair.

"Thank you Leianne, but Armos has always been right about his warnings, and we should trust him on this one. Even if it isn't true, it is good to have an army ready for attacks," he replied. "Anyone else wish to speak on the matter?" At that moment, a soldier ran in the room, going so fast that he nearly ran into a desk of papers. He quickly saluted and took a deep breathe before relaying his message.

"Sir, the rebels have decided to attack!" he said in a rushed voice filled with gasps. The Sage stared at the soldier with worry.

"They attack already? Increase defenses and wake the generals up to help scatter the rebels," the Sage ordered. The soldier saluted once more and scurried out of the conference room with haste.

The Principal stood. "Rebels, sir?" he asked.

"They are a small group that don't believe in photo, magic, and mags, and try to free us from our so called "errors". They have created a small city of their own and believe that it is evil that we use, not photon energy," he explained. "If you ask me, they're just a pain." The Principal sat back down.

"Does anyone still have a comment on the Dimenians?" seeing that there was no one who stood, the Sage nodded. "Alright, conference dismissed."

* * *

"Generals Armos and Kemero, the rebels are attacking! Wake up!" Kemero heard someone shout. Slowly, he rose from his bed to see Armos clipping his blade on his back, and a soldier breathing hard as he watched him. Armos barely glanced at Kemero and sighed.

"Kemero, get ready, we need to lead the army," he said angrily and finished adjusting his sword. Kemero jumped out of bed, excited for the job, and grabbed his guns, scurrying out of the door, followed by the exhausted soldier. All three made it in the elevator, listening to the soldier breathe hard.

"Who are the rebels?" Kemero asked as they went down to the bottom floor.

"People who think we are evil. All we have to do is basically scatter them as much as you can. Try not to kill, but if they attack, kill them," Armos replied. Then he turned to the soldier. "You've done well informing us. I want you to stay at the building and relay messages to the Sage, alright?"

The soldier, flushed, saluted and smiled a little. Armos and Kemero made it to the ground floor and ran from the elevator to outside where they headed towards a large commotion outside of the city. Kemero could see warriors clashing with swords of photon and others in different armor using metal blades.

"Make sure your shield is on, c'mon!" Armos yelled, removing his two blades at his sides. He pressed the button on the handle and two energy blades shot up from the handles, matching the teal glow of the mags on his shoulders. Kemero loaded his gun and charged with his companion into the battlefield. The next moment was utter chaos for the two. Blades retched off of Kemero and Armos' shields and the two began to shoot or slice at the enemies, either scaring them, or entering in combat with them.

Kemero found it surprising how easy the warriors were compared to the Dimenians, nearly laughing as he easily took down rebels that attacked him. He saw Armos showing off his technique with his amazing grace and speed.

Suddenly, as if it happened in only a minute, the rebels threw down their weapons and ran, leaving the other side cheering or laughing at the retreating rebels. Kemero laughed as well, enjoying his strength, and clapped Armos on the back.

"You're getting better," Armos complimented, smiling at Kemero. _Maybe he isn't so bad,_ thought Armos. _Though his drool smells like crap._

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Nice little ending there…I like it!

Armos: Yippee!!

Kemero: Feliz Navidad!

Armos: Um…it's January Kemero…

Kemero: Review please!

Mr.Who2123: Random outbursts…interesting…


	11. Surprises

Mr.Who2123: Disclaimers!

Armos: She owns nothing related to this game…

Mr.Who2123: Ummmm, good enough!

Kemero: My mag is making me dizzy!!

Asparus: (translation for beep noises – Yeah, that's what you get for shoving crackers down my throat!)

* * *

Kemero entered his room, happiness showering over him from his amazing improvement in no time.

"That was short," Kemero muttered to himself. Armos was behind him, unfastening the sword sheath. He smirked at the response.

"Well, it wasn't a very well planned assault by the amount of people that ran away at the sight of us. I would guess that those are some overconfident rebels thinking they can defeat us easily," Armos said. He held his giant blade in its sheath, and threw it onto his bed.

"Hey," Kemero spoke all of the sudden. A curious question had bumped into his mind. "What do people on Ragol do for fun?" Armos looked at him strangely, but answered.

"Well," he said while scratching his head. "I would rather show than tell, actually. Want to take a trip around Corgrassa?" Armos placed his swords in his closet and his shield on his desk.

"Sure, there's nothing else to do," Kemero replied and took off his weapons as well. Armos led Kemero down the elevator, the two in silence for only a short period of time.

"Why do they rebels think we're bad?" Kemero asked, breaking the short silence.

"Well, they think that it is evil to use photon weapons and that we are killing the planet," Armos replied thoughtfully. "They've been at it only for a couple years, but they almost already dispersed. I was surprised they'd make an attack."

"Well, how could photon weapons hurt the planet?" Kemero asked.

"…" he got no reply.

"So it does kill the planet?"

"No, but plant and animal life has decreased dramatically since we discovered photon powered weapons," he said hesitantly.

"So it does hurt the planet!" Kemero retorted. "Tell the Sage!"

"It's not the photon weapons," Armos replied quickly. "It just isn't."

"When did you discover photon weapons?"

"…the year I was found," he replied quietly. Conversation fell to an awkward end, and the two were thankful when the door opened on ground floor. Once again, Kemero was exposed to the great technology of Corgrassa. Billboards shone with strange neon looking lights, showing ads for new accessories that Kemero had no clue about. There were strange lines above the walking area over Kemero that glowed many colors, and was amazed to find that cars would drive over them. Buildings were everywhere, but the main government building was by far the tallest.

The people around Kemero were not so different though. They all talked, walked, or laughed together, and Kemero felt he was in a big city on Earth. He was at ease, forgetting the earlier conversation and Armos could tell.

"Well, I'm guessing you like it here?" he said, and received a nod. "Let's start here." He stopped in front of a store that had an ad of a child with a fake gun.

"So is this a virtual reality type game?" Kemero asked as they entered. Many teenagers and younger adults looked up at their guests, then returned to their buying. Armos led Kemero through rows of game boxes and various game guns, and stopped in front a teleporter. It was a different kind than the one Armos can make. It was a cylinder shape with glass around, and a gun lay in a slot inside of it.

"Go inside and take the gun in your hands," Armos instructed. Kemero did as he said, pumped with excitement. "Now turn it on and have fun." Kemero saw a red button on the black surface, and pushed. Suddenly, Armos, the store, the people, they all disappeared. It was black, and Kemero steadied the gun up to his eye. He looked through a small aimer with a cross that intersected in the middle.

The whole atmosphere of black changed. He was in an aircraft in space, and he could hear narrators talking about a civil war in the future across space, but he didn't really listen. He just watched in amazement as he jumped off the aircraft like the instructions, and felt himself fall. Suddenly he stopped, and Kemero saw behind him, rocket boosters, that he never saw.

Next thing he knew, guns were shooting at him, and Kemero began to play and shoot the enemies. A rocket shot towards him, and he craftily dodged it, returning the blow with a grenade. Another fighter was coming up towards him, and Kemero kicked him and then shot him. He felt the weight of the soldier he kicked; he felt he was actually there. All his cares were far behind and he felt the only thing he wanted to do was win. Kemero kept shooting at the enemies, and then a speaker of a 'fellow soldier' turned on.

"We got 'em Let's go soldier," it said through a communicator, and Kemero saw the speaker. He was boosting towards the enemy base, and he promptly followed. The next thing he knew, bombs assaulted him as he entered. Kemero ducked away, but more were shooting.

"What's going on?" Kemero asked as the bombs constantly were coming closer. There was only light. "Is this a glitch?" Pain burst through every nerve then. He didn't know why, but he was falling, but he didn't know if he really was or the game did it. Then there was white. He ached all over, unsure of what happened. Time seemed to drone on for hours, Kemero fading through consciousness, not knowing whether he was awake or asleep, or even dead.

"Wake up, Kemero! C'mon!" Kemero heard a familiar voice, but he couldn't think of who it was. It just seemed to be a heavenly figure trying to save his life. Weakly, he got up, and leaned almost entirely on the person.

"One step at a time, there you go," said the voice, and Kemero rolled off into memory of the voice.

* * *

_"C'mon Kemero, run faster!" said a young friend. Kemero was running, his figure only about the size of a young teenager. Kemero followed the friend, trusting his voice, then seeing his face._

_"Aaron, wait up!"_

* * *

Kemero snapped his eyes open.

"Aaron, is that you?" he called weakly. He was in a room with a white light over it. There were two figures, but he couldn't recognize either.

"There's no Aaron, just the Principal and me, the doctor," replied the figure on the right. The outline of the Principal became clearer, and Kemero eased slightly.

"I heard Aaron," Kemero said to himself.

"Kemero, Aaron died years ago, you remember that," the Principal replied sympathetically. "You must have been seeing things."

"No, I heard him, he helped me get up and walk. I heard him…," Kemero's confidence left him as a tear formed in his eye. It threatened to fall down his cheek, but Kemero brushed it away.

"What happened?" Kemero asked.

"The rebels had tricked us into thinking we defeated them. They threw a bomb on Corgrassa. Good thing Armos suspected that. He had troops ready," explained the doctor.

"I didn't know he suspected it," Kemero thought out loud.

"Hell, none of us know. All we know is that he had troops waiting," said the doctor.

"Is the city alright?" Kemero asked.

"The government building is unarmed, managed to put the shields on in time. Most of the city is swept away though. I don't know how they managed to get that bomb," the doctor muttered. "Now go to sleep, Kemero. I'm going to fix you up."

Kemero was confused.

"Fix what?" he asked, but he fell asleep before the doctor answered.

* * *

Armos was outside the hospital. Debris and bodies lay everywhere. The city was once colorful, where now it was dull.

"Kemero…he called me Aaron. I hope his arm's alright."

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Oooooh, what happened? The world may never know.

Armos: That's a strange chapter.

Mr.Who2123: I like it!

Kemero: REVIEW!!!


	12. Differences Disperse in Real Life

Mr.Who2123: Well, second update for P.S.O. and I'm too into it to sleep (it's 10:30)

Armos: She owns nothing…bla bla bla, you get the picture.

Mr.Who2123: That's not very enthusiastic…

Armos: Fine…MR.WHO2123 DOES NOT OWN ANYTHING RELATED TO P.S.O BESIDES THIS PLOT!!! Happy?

Mr.Who2123: Very!

* * *

The doctor studied the nearly blown away arm. It hung on thin threads, chunks missing and blood oozing freely all over it. The doctor lifted the arm and studied its condition; first cleaning off the whole shoulder, and trying to see if the arm could be stitched together again.

The Principal stood outside with Armos in uncomfortable silence.

"Who's Aaron?" Armos asked the Principal suddenly, his arms folded and his back against the wall. He looked perfectly calm, but Armos didn't feel calm at all. His mind was trying to work over the attack of the city, the repairs, and the possibility of another attack. His mind was braking under weight.

The Principal sighed deeply before his answer.

"He was Kemero's best friend who died in an accident. He was a pilot in the army, and very skilled. One day, he began his exercises in his aircraft, but the tank malfunctioned and the plane blew up," the Principal said. "It wasn't his fault at all, and he still paid for the carelessness of a mechanic or engineer." Armos closed his eyes, imagining the pain as best he could.

"Things like that happen all the time in this universe, don't they?" Armos said. "Faults are paid for always, whether fair or not, and that's what makes us people. We're not very different at all when it comes down to it."

"That is very true," replied the Principal, and silence came in the room again.

The doctor did not come out of the room that day. Neither the next. Everyday for a week, Armos and the Principal spoke of past times or talked of Kemero and his arm. After eight days, the door creaked open, and the two crowded around the doctor. His eyes had dark rings under them, and his gloves were bloody, but overall, the doctor seemed happy with the results by the small smile on his face.

"Is he okay?" the Principal asked anxiously. The doctor sighed deeply.

"Kemero will keep his arm. We managed to make working muscles and tendons of similar material, so his arm should operate normally after it heals," the doctor said. "He is also out of his critical state, and will live if he gets some rest." Armos smiled and the Principal hugged the doctor awkwardly.

"Thanks so much, doctor!" he exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear.

"You may see Kemero, but he cannot move his arm for another month. I need to be going now. Good day!" the doctor stated happily and left.

Inside, Kemero was reading a book that he had brought on his trip to Ragol. His maimed arm was in a strange chrome brace, and lights pulsed through the metal. Kemero smiled when he saw his friends come in.

"Hey guys! I think I made it!" he exclaimed as the Principal sat down near him. Armos leaned against the wall nearby and just smiled.

"Does your arm hurt?" the Principal asked as he looked at the brace.

"Not really, it just feels like there is a lot of fluid pumping through it. The light is health fluid to help the muscles strengthen and for the bones to grow healthy," Kemero explained.

"I'm so glad you're alright," the Principal stated, as if he couldn't believe that he had lived through the explosion.

"Hey, Armos are you going to sit there the whole time?" asked Kemero sarcastically as Armos turned to him and smirked. Then Armos sat down on the bed next to the two.

"Hey, what happened?" Kemero asked. "The doctor didn't really explain what had happened, and I was half conscious then." Armos nodded and reclined his head slightly, as if he were recalling a long lost memory that had almost been forgotten in the depths of his mind.

"Well, the rebels dropped a bomb on us while you were playing that game. It landed very close to the shop so the damage to us was severe-,"

"Hey, why aren't you hurt?" interrupted Kemero. Indeed, Armos looked exactly the same, unlike Kemero.

"Well, I saw the bomb and I ran for cover, but I forgot to get you. After the explosion, I managed to find you semi-conscious, and I helped bring you to the hospital. You called me Aaron then," explained Armos.

Kemero looked down at his brace.

"You actually sound like him. I guess I was just a little shocked from the explosion," Kemero said, trying to engage a happier tone, but it didn't work very well.

"We can go back to the tower if you want. You're free to go," Armos suggested. Kemero nodded.

* * *

It usually took many months, even years to build a large tower on Earth. Kemero was amazed at the difference of time it took on Ragol. The next month was mayhem, but the result of mayhem was an almost completely rebuilt city.

"Wow, the city looks just like it did before!" Kemero exclaimed, feeling his brace. It was a different brace this time. It was thin, yet made out of a strong polymer, which could bend. His arm had healed well, but scars covered his arm, and some wounds were still present.

Armos and Kemero were in their room, watching through a window the work of the regallions. Kemero had been in bed most of the month and he saw little of outside life after the bombing, but after seeing the city again, he wanted to see more of the lives of the people.

"Our buildings' makeups are very simplistic and it is easy to build the towers that way. Plus, our workers are very fast and time efficient," Armos explained. "Our city could live on its own. It is very independent."

Watching a couple people put some signs up, Kemero sighed in content.

"I'm glad the war didn't do as much as I thought it would to the city," Kemero stated. He then turned to Armos. "I want to train when my arm is healed. I don't want to be behind."

Armos smiled. Suddenly, a small dot raced in front of Kemero's face. Asparus was flying around Kemero with high speed.

"Whoa! I forgot about you, Asparus!" Kemero exclaimed and managed to catch the mag and calm it down. "I haven't spent much time with you." Asparus made a clicking noise.

"That means he's content," Armos explained, feeling Kama absently.

"Well, that's good. I just wish he'd get bigger so we could get stronger," sighed Kemero. "A mag this small is not something to be proud of, you know."

"Patience, Kemero. It took me five years for my mags to evolve. Don't expect anything soon," Armos said.

But a darkness fell over the room, for they both secretly knew that something will happen, yet they don't know just yet.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: (Yawn) I'm too tired to do anything but turn off this computer. Goodnight. (Falls on floor, snoring on Armos' foot)

Armos: Aah! Why am I always around drooling people!!???

Kemero: Review!


	13. Unexpected News

Mr.Who2123: I know…another chapter, but I have been playing P.S.O and I can't get it out of my head.

Armos: Well, at least we can see what happens in the end if this keeps up.

Mr.Who2123: Yeah, but it's P.S.O. that motivates me, NOT the reviewers(Meaning there aren't enough reviewers. Skyhawk, you're doing AWESOME!)

Kemero: She does not own the P.S.O. game.

Mr.Who2123: Random disclaimer…at least it's out of the way.

Armos: Yup.

* * *

A dull light shone through the cracks of the window coverings. The light fell in rows across the beds; one was empty and made, the other had Kemero sleeping like a rock in it. As the time moved on slowly, the light gre brighter until the room was almost lit normally. The light didn't do anything to rouse Kemero in any way. He ignored it as he snored softly, sometimes turning in his dreams. As if from no where, the light burst everywhere into the room and Kemero opened his eyes suddenly. Armos' hand was under the string, and he had pulled it until it shot up from the window and rolled at the top. 

"Wake up," Armos said, walking towards his closet. Kemero stretched his arms and yawned before stumbling out of his bed. He rubbed his eyes before going into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Armos opened his closet door and grabbed the giant blade right in the front of the closet. It glimmered in the light, and Armos sheathed it.

"You can take your cast off today," Armos called through the door. Kemero shouted an ok back, and then he came back out with his arm out of the chrome cast. He moved his arm back and forth and stretched it in all manners that he could until Armos was tapping his foot.

"My arm...it feels like I never broke it!" Kemero exclaimed clenching and unclenching his fingers. He walked on a pedestal in the corner of the room and changed thrugh the same means as he first did. "Hold on, Armos. Let me grab my Varista," the ranger said and grabbed it, along with his bazooka, and the two headed downstairs.

"I'm so excited to train. I can finally shoot again!" Kemero exclaimed in the elevator as well as other similar remarks. Asparus whizzed around Kemero with glee until it floated over to Kama and the two clicked together.

Fianlly, the elevator reached floor 5 and the two entered the same room. Armos turned to Kemero.

"Level S?" he asked. Kemero nodded, and turned on his shield. Armos did the same and then turned on the simulator.

"Armos Wreathen specialized training: Level S." it beeped, and Kemero readied is gun. He would not fail like the last time. The room darkened and Kemero gulped. Soon the room was pitch black and the only light was from the recently activated blades of Armos and Kama.

"Ready?" asked Armos quietly in the dark. Kemero hesitated answering.

"Yeah, I think," he replied. Kemero heard something make a clink noise, and he whirled on it, paranoid. Nothing was there.

"It's alright. Just stay calm," Armos answered to the definitely not calm Kemero. The rnger sighed a bit, but then he heard the clink again.

"Get ready," Armos whispered, and then ran into the dark. Kemero started to feel some sweat run down his cheek. Just then, lighted figures appeared, and Kemero raised his gun and shot the nearest one with precise accuracy. The light of the Dimenian dimmed and he aimed for the next. They were getting closer, and it was hard for Kemero to hold his composure.

"Are you alright?" Armos asked from afar. Kemero barely heard it as he frantically shot at the Dimenians. HE remembered the horror the last one, and sweat poured down his face.

"I...I think so," Kemero replied weakly. A group of three grotesque monsters were walking up towards him, and Kemero swung the bazooka onto his shoulder. He aimed and fired the gun. A large bulltet blasted the Dimenians with a huge impact. There was no more of them as far as Kemero could tell. Blue suddenly surrounded Kemero as a Dimenian behind sliced at him. The blue shield blocked the blow and Kemero shot his handgun right into what would be the face. _This is much easier than last time_, he thought as he felled another one. _Have I really improved that much?_ Suddenly, the shield showed again, and Kemero whirled around to see a group of Dimenians crowding around him, their claws held up. Kemero ran back and grabbed his bazooka. He pulled the trigger, but it just beeped. _Out of bullets. What a dunce I am..._

Kemero swung the bazooka back behind him and pulled out his Varista once more. He shot at as many as he could, but there were more, and they were coming closer. _Uh-oh. It's happening again. What should I do??_ Kemero kept shooting, his confidence falling for each Dimenian that he killed. More kept coming in the fallens' places.

"Armos, I...I might need some help!" called Kemero, but his voice was weak and it died in his worry. Kemero kicked a Dimenian, which fell back on its comrades, accidentally killing a couple more with its blades. The area flashed blue to Kemero for a second; the shield was working, and Kemero knew he needs to kill them sooner or later. The ranger rolled out of the Dimenian's ways and shot as many as he could focus on.

"Armos, where are you?" Kemero called, this time, it sounded throughout the dark room. Every time a Dimenian came close, Kemero could fell it easily, but he couldn't aim well far away in the dark. He shot blindly at some of the light of the claws, and the light of the photon claws dimmed. Kemero kept up his evasion until he saw a familiar light. Kama was glowing above the rest of the Diemnians. They beeped loudly and Armos headed for Kemero. _Thank goodness...I don't know how longb I could've lasted._ Lights dimmed all around Kama, and soon Armos appeared, only his blades visible.

"Are you alright?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah, thanks," replied Kemero, trying to keep some pride intact with his reply. "I'll go take some mroe out." He walked away from Armos who watched after him. He lifted his blades and entered the battlefield again, slicing at everything he could. Kemero was dominating after his encounter with Armos. There seemed to be half the number of Dimenians than before, ad he managed to not get hit once. Soon, after the last Dimenian had fallen, the room lit, and Kemero found himself acroos from the simulator where he was before.

"That was a lot easier," remarked Kemero as the two left the room with small grins.

"Well, it was Asparus. Mags are used to increase strength, defense, and accuracy," replied Armos with his arms folded. The two entered the elevator, which started up. Kemero fidgeted in the elevator nervously. _I got to say, even if he is sometimes a jerk. C'mon, I can say it. Just say it..._

"Armos...," Kemero started nervously. Armos turned to him. "I just...well, I want to thank...you for helping me get better," Kemero stuttered, turning a light shade of red. Armos grinned, but didn't laugh, and calmly replied, "Your welcome." Kemero sighed. He felt like an idiot from stuttering, and he didn't say anything else as they left to their room.

* * *

_"Are you sure you need to do this?" asked the Sage grimly. Armos and his mentor were in front of a large cave entrance; Dimenian bodies were scattered around them, purple blood all across the floor. Armos looked at the bodies with much concentration, as if the lifeless body was important. the gold hair covered his eyes as he hesitated to answer. His body shook slightly, and the two stayed motionless for a long time._

_"Yeah, I do," Armos finally replied. He looked up at the Sage with glimmering eyes. The Sage was caught off guard. He had never seen his confident general bring emotion into his eyes like that. "I have to overcome it. No matter what, and there's nothing you can do to help." Armos was silent after that and turned to the cave entrance._

_"Then, goodbye, Armos. Don't die," the Sage said softly. _

_"Don't worry," Armos whispered back, and headed into the cave without another word. The Sage watched after the black entrance where the one he loved has just been walking through. He watched it sadly, as if it could bring him back to him. Slowly, he turned. He knew Armos didn't want to go in the cave for the Wall. He just knew, niether of them would bring the subject up at all._

_"If only he was more open. I wish he had someone he could confide in," he whispered to himself, and walked slowly back to the city._

_

* * *

_

When Armos and Kemero entered their room, they found an unexpected surprise. The Sage was waiting for them with a forlorn expression.

"General Wreathen and Assistant General Kemero, we have need of your assistance," he stated in a dark tone. Armos folded his arms, his face brought into a serious expression. Kemero just stood there, waiting for the news, and he had a feeling it wasn't good.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Mwahahahaha! Cliffie.

Kemero: Review!

Armos: Yes, please do.


	14. Reactions To News

Mr.Who2123: Well, it's midnight…that milk I had must have had some caffeine because I'm not tired!!

Armos: Why don't we just start the story…?

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 does not own P.S.O. or Sega!

Mr.Who2123: BEGIN!!!

* * *

"What's wrong?" Kemero asked nervously in his room. Armos looked up at the Sage with…hope glinting in his dark eyes, but only for a second as he lowered his head again and stared at his feet with anger and sadness. Kemero looked at Armos with puzzlement before looking back at the Sage.

"I'm afraid Ragol is on the verge of a crisis. Our people attack us relentlessly, and we cannot tolerate their attacks any longer. But that is not the real problem. Kemero, would you kindly step out for a moment?" the Sage explained, beckoning Kemero out the door with grimness. Armos closed the door behind him with clenched fists, not once looking back up at the Sage.

"The Dimenians, Armos," the Sage whispered. Armos' head shot up like a bullet and he opened his mouth, though no sound came out.

"…No. You're lying! They can't be!" Armos retaliated strangely. He lifted up a clenched fist and slammed the wall with desperation. The Sage just watched sadly as Armos brought his hand slowly back to his side. A huge dent in the wall lay where Armos just hit it, but neither cared.

"Armos, you've got to face your fears-," the Sage began, lifting a hand towards Armos, who flinched away.

"You don't understand anything!" Armos yelled, pulling his fist in front of his face. "You don't know what I go through because of your people! I'm not like you. I should've stayed in that ruin. It would have cost me the pain of living here!" Silence overtook the two, sucking away the sound of their hearts racing and the dull throb in Armos' hand. Slowly, the Sage looked up at his friend with sadness.

"I may not understand, but I know you need help! Why don't you tell me what's wrong so I can help you?" the Sage replied calmly. Armos looked down.

"You can't help me. Just, leave me alone," Armos answered, his anger dulling into despair.

"Armos, the Dimenians are coming! We must fight! You can win, too…I've seen your power, you can do anything!" the Sage exclaimed, trying to sound cheerful. Armos sighed in defeat.

"When do we leave?" he asked monotonously.

"In one day. Make sure to come back in one piece," the Sage smiled and took his hand off of Armos' shoulder. "I'm going to bring in Kemero-," the Sage stopped abruptly as Armos spoke.

"Sage, thanks for helping me," Armos said softly, and the Sage opened the door. Kemero was pale white when the door opened. He heard the crash of Armos' fist and he had no idea what to make of it.

"Is everything alright?" Kemero asked in a hushed voice as he walked slowly inside. Armos closed the door behind him and nodded, though his face didn't show the same reaction.

"Armos had a bit of a temper," the Sage remarked, laughing grimly, receiving a death glare from Armos. Kemero glanced at Armos, not averting his attention from the Sage.

"So, what's the problem?" Kemero asked.

"The problem is that Dimenians are appearing in front of the ruin and we need to eliminate them before they cause trouble. I would like you, Kemero, and Armos to go through the ruin and take them out," the Sage explained. Kemero froze in shock. _The ruin…where Armos was found? That place is the cause of his distress, I don't even want to know what would happen to Armos in there,_ Kemero thought frantically.

"Is that alright with you?" the Sage asked Kemero, who was staring at the wall, left blankly in his thoughts. Kemero snapped from his thoughts and nodded solemnly. "Alright, you leave tomorrow." The Sage left without another word and the two generals were left to themselves. Kemero sighed before looking up at Armos.

"What do you think about this?" Armos asked darkly, moving next to his bed. He went on his bed and laid down, his eyes closed. Kemero shrugged at the question, hesitating to reply.

"I don't really know," Kemero muttered back. Armos placed his arms behind his head to get comfortable, but didn't respond to Kemero.

"…What do you think of this?" Kemero asked, wincing at his own words after uttering them. Armos still didn't respond. "I guess it's hard for you, huh?"

…Still no reply. Kemero looked out the window, waiting for a reply, but none came.

"Armos?" Kemero turned around to look at his fellow general. A tear sparkled in his eye, but disappeared suddenly. Kemero, taken aback, stopped and turned to look back out the window.

"Armos, I…," Kemero started.

"Don't worry about me. It doesn't matter," Armos quickly replied, and sat up. He stood up from his bed and left the room before Kemero could say anything else. Kemero sighed deeply, still thinking of Armos' past and the struggles he's had. The ranger jumped on his bed and closed his eyes. Weariness immediately took over him; Kemero never noticed how tired he was, and soon, he had fallen asleep.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Once again, so sorry for the short chapter…watching my brother playing Kingdom Hearts 2 as Roxas, and I can't help but think of my other story. Sorry again!

Armos: Now I CRY?!?!?!?!

Mr.Who2123: Hehehe, um, I mean, it makes you cooler!

Kemero: That's how I have all the chicks!

Armos: But you don't have chicks…

Kemero: (cries)

Mr.Who2123: Review please!


	15. Start of a Journey

Mr.Who2123: Well, I'm back and here to continue my heart wrenching story!

Armos: Just to let you know, the beginning has kind of a…different beginning, so only more mature people should read.

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 owns nothing!

Mr.Who2123 & Armos: We know that!

* * *

The blinding light of day burst upon poor Kemero's eyes.

"Wake up!" Armos shouted to the half conscious ranger. Kemero merely groaned in response to the light and sound urging him to get up.

"Five more minutes!" Kemero replied tiredly in his pillow.

"You've asked that almost ten times now. I let you sleep in half an hour!" Armos replied irritably. He snuck up next to the sleeping Kemero and pinched his nose. Kemero snorted, opened his eyes, and thrashed at Armos, who literally leaped away from Kemero.

"Are you trying to suffocate me?" Kemero yelled at Armos, standing next to the bed. He breathed deeply and held a fist out towards his partner. Armos stood stock still, trying to keep himself from laughing. "…what?" Armos covered his mouth and pointed at Kemero, who looked down at himself. In the confusion somehow, Kemero kicked off his boxers, and stood in a naked fury.

Turning bright red, Kemero tried covering himself with one hand while his other searched for his clothes. Armos couldn't keep it in. He began laughing, embarrassing Kemero even more. When the ranger finally managed to put on his shorts, he thrust a finger at his roommate.

"It's all your fault! If you didn't make me freak out like that!" Kemero began furiously.

"Well, if you just woke up, then this wouldn't have happened," Armos replied smartly. "Get dressed; we need to report to the Sage." Kemero cursed under his breath as he trudged into the bathroom, changing.

"You're going to torture me the rest of your life, aren't you?" Kemero said through walls of the bathroom.

"You shouldn't even have to ask that," Armos replied deviously.

"My life is over," Kemero muttered in anguish as he reappeared through the door. Armos smirked at Kemero as the two left their room together.

"Anyways, when we leave on our mission, we will be transported to a forested area. Then, we will go through a cave into a mine," Armos explained.

"Why into the mine?" Kemero asked.

"Well, we will be able to set up a communication link from this city to the ruin. Right now, we don't have a transportation link to the ruin at all," replied Armos. They went inside the elevator that zoomed upwards to the Sage's floor. "However, the mine has a stable connection with the ruin."

"Don't we have a connection with the mine?" Kemero interrupted again.

"No, it was shut down a long time ago," Armos replied knowledgably. They were at the door of the Sage, and Armos pounded on the heavy oak.

"Come in," the Sage's voice rang through the door. Armos opened it and walked in with Kemero right behind him.

"You called us," Armos said gloomily to the Sage, who sat at his paper filled desk. The Sage looked up and gazed at the partners.

"Yes, I just wanted to give you these," the Sage said, smiling as he stood up from his desk. He shuffled to a drawer and opened it up, searching through the seemingly endless papers. Soon enough, the Sage pulled out two hardcover books with no titles.

"These are journals. I want you to record everything that could be of use to us, alright?" the Sage explained. Kemero opened it up, and a cloud of dust burst from the book.

"How old are these?" Kemero asked, shaking the book in disgust as dust flew everywhere.

"I'm not sure, but I know I saved journals a long time ago," the Sage replied. Kemero flipped through the pages, and as expected, there was nothing.

"Thanks," Armos said, though he didn't sound sincere. He turned abruptly and briskly stalked out of the door. After Kemero heard the door latch and the footsteps disappear, he looked sadly at the Sage.

"Is he alright?" he asked, glancing at the wooden door.

"This is definitely connected to the ruin," the Sage replied, also looking at the door as if Armos was standing in front of it. "I wish I could help him."

"Why is he so sad all the time? Can't he ever be happy?" Kemero asked desperately, half to himself. "Doesn't he know we try so hard just to try and make him happy?" The Sage just shook his head sadly.

* * *

Kemero threw his giant bag onto his bed. If they were leaving tomorrow first thing in the morning, then they better pack now. Armos also put a similar bag on the bed. The two were silent while folding their clothes and stuffing essentials into them. Armos tossed a capsule without looking at it, and it knocked Kemero on the head. He flinched and picked up the small item.

"What's this for?" Kemero asked, holding the capsule up for Armos to see.

"It's a capsule for a tent. It's reusable, so don't lose it," Armos replied, not even taking a glimpse of Kemero. Kemero examined the tiny pill sized item and felt its smooth surface before putting it into a small pocket of the bag. Suddenly, Asparus burst from the closet, beeping loudly. Both generals looked up from their work to see Asparus and Kama chasing each other gleefully.

"Why can't we be close like that?" Kemero asked sarcastically as he and Armos returned to their packing. Kemero got a pillow thrust in his face as a response.

As soon as Armos and Kemero finished, they turned off the light and went into their beds, prepared for the next day.

* * *

Kemero didn't have any problem getting up after his incident. It was before sunrise, and the generals were already out the door. Tired and silent, the two went into the elevator, which closed behind them. Armos clicked the base floor, and the elevator moved down.

When Kemero made it out the door, he was surprised how quiet and dull the town was. The billboards were off or being turned on, and there was not a sound.

"C'mon," Armos whispered when Kemero didn't follow. The ranger instantly set out after Armos towards the outskirts of town.

"We're starting from scratch," Armos explained as they finally left the city. A giant forest was ahead of them, dense with trees and animal life.

"This'll be simple," Kemero said, smirking at the path ahead of them. Armos looked at Kemero with sarcastic surprise, and walked ahead.

"That's what you think," he said.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: WOO!! Finally done! Took me two days!

Armos: We're actually starting the plot of our story!

Mr.Who2123: That's true. This is where I started planning…I never expected all that other stuff I've already written!!

Kemero: Wow…


	16. First Day

Mr.Who2123: Well, I vowed to finish a story before I post my FF7 one, so I'm going to do this one…and maybe Tales of Symphonia since I'm playing it again.

Armos: Here comes the great adventure!

Kemero: Dun dun dun!!!(gets strange looks)...what?

Armos: ….Never mind.

* * *

Kemero split a large bunch of tall grass to see ahead of him. _All around me is a field. I can't even see a mountain! Where is the stupid mine?_ Kemero wondered, sighing.

"C'mon, we still have far to go," Armos said, seeing the downcast expression of his partner. The hunter slashed horizontally at some grass, making a path for the two as they continued north. Kemero looked to his right shoulder, at Asparus. It was silent the whole time, unlike its usual self.

"Hey," Kemero said kindly, petting the tiny mag. It beeped happily, nuzzling itself inside his hand. Armos couldn't help but smile at the two. Memories of him and Kama flooded into his mind as he cut the path ahead.

* * *

The Principal dashed to the Sage, his anger building with every step he took. He thrust the door open, red and panting.

"Why didn't you tell me Kemero left?" he yelled, still breathing hard. The Sage walked over to the Principal.

"I'm sorry, but you would have tried to make Kemero stay, wouldn't you?" he asked, frowning at the human. The Principal frowned back.

"Yeah, but couldn't I have at least said good bye?" he asked.

"They left earlier than I thought. I didn't even get to say good bye," he replied. The Principal looked down.

"Oh," he uttered. "Well, then I'll be going." He walked slowly back to the door. The Sage watched him sadly as the Principal shut the door slowly.

* * *

_Dear Journal, _

_This is my very first entry, so I'll explain what's happening right now. I'm traveling with my acquaintance Armos to a mine, so we can transport to a ruin we need to investigate. I really don't like Armos. He is so arrogant and makes me feel so weak whenever I see him fight. _

_I also have my mag, Asparus. It is a lot smaller than Kama, Armos' mag. I'm jealous. Even though Asparus makes me so much more powerful, Kama makes Armos invincible. Well, I ramble. Nothing really happened today, except I fell in a huge ditch and Armos had to pull me out. I still have mud in my ears. _

_Well, I fell really prepared for the ruin. I can't wait to unravel secrets about this planet, Ragol. Although, Armos is scared of it for some reason, and didn't want to come on this journey at all. He was found there when he was a little kid. I feel kind of sorry for him too. I mean, he is messed up because of that place. _

_It's time to go to bed. I'm beat from walking all day, even though I used to do exercises like this all the time back on Earth. I think I've fallen out of shape. _

_Sincerely, _

_Kemero _

* * *

_Journal, _

_I can't believe I'm writing in this. Although, when I saw Kemero write, I had a sudden urge to do the same. Kemero has changed me quite a bit and I don't know how. I guess it doesn't matter though. My fate comes closer and closer with every step I take on this adventure and it's nerve wracking. I don't know how I can keep going like this without telling Kemero something about me. Although, he'd undoubtedly take me back if I said anything. He is too kind for his own good, a trait I wish I had. I'll go to bed now. _

_Armos _

_I still can't believe I'm writing in this thing. _

* * *

Kemero slowly opened his eyes. Light peeked through the slit in his tent and fell directly onto his face. Birdsong echoed through the plains they camped in. The ranger sat up and yawned, stretching his arms in the air.

"Sleep," Kemero moaned sleepily, and fell back onto his sleeping bag. However, his rest was short lived. Light came in a burst now, for Armos opened the tent completely leaving Kemero unshielded from the sun.

"Good morning," he said while smirking, and walked away. Kemero sat up again, cursing his partner. He got up and pulled out his little pill sized container. He stepped outside and pushed a miniscule button on the side, and dropped. The container beeped, and then absorbed the tent and everything inside. The tent shrunk as it went inside the container, and soon, there was nothing left except the pill. The ranger never got tired of that. He loved to see the technology of the Regallions.

"Hey, are you going to stand there all day?" Armos asked sarcastically. He already had his bag packed, and he was faced to the north. Kemero quickly picked up his pill container and his bag, and dashed for Armos. He thanked himself he slept in his clothes and didn't need to change.

Kemero sighed in deep frustration when he saw the endless field ahead of him.

"When is it going to end?" he muttered to himself.

"We'll get there in a few more days," Armos explained, looking out into the field.

"DAYS?" Kemero moaned, dropping his head. Armos sighed.

"Did you want it to be weeks? Or months?" he asked, walking forward. Kemero followed him with gloomy steps. "I think you can handle it."

After a couple hours of tension filled silence, Kemero saw a strange dome shaped building.

"Hey, what's that?" Kemero asked, pointing to it. It was white, with black rings going horizontally around it many times. It stood on the edge of a steep cliff, and it looked like it could fall off at any moment. Armos stopped to look at it.

"It's the mine entrance," he replied after a moment of studying it. Kemero smiled.

"It's that close? We'll be there in no time!" he exclaimed, while speeding to a run towards the mine entrance. Armos didn't try to catch up with him, though.

"You won't be able to make it up the cliff, so don't even try," he replied, and Kemero stopped to turn to him.

"Could you make it?" Kemero asked. He glanced towards the giant building. It was pretty high and the cliff was steep. Armos looked to the dome.

"Probably, but we shouldn't spend our time talking about it. Let's go." and he continued straight ahead without waiting for a response. Kemero fumed, but followed.

_I hate how he puts me down like that!_ Kemero thought angrily, sending occasional glares to his partner. Armos ignored Kemero.

_He asked a question and I merely answered,_ he thought, smiling to himself.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Hope you liked it!

Armos: Mr.Who2123 plans to have a journal for every chapter…they might even BE the chapter in later ones.

Kemero: I can't scale a cliff?

Armos: Mr.Who2123 just LOVES to make you weak, huh?

Mr.Who2123: …maybe.


	17. With the Second Day Comes Hope

Mr.Who2123: Well, another chapter. I love writing this story so much more now that we're getting closer and closer to my favorite part!

Armos: (Shiver) I'm not.

Mr.Who2123: I thought we were talking about me, not you.

Armos: …Anyways, Mr.Who2123 owns nothing.

Kemero: I'm so not athletic!!

Armos and Mr.Who2123: (Ignore) BEGIN!!!

* * *

_Second Day of My journey_

_Dear Journal, _

_I walked the whole day again, and my feet are beginning to ache. Sometimes I don't even lift my feet; I just shuffle them across the fields. It's not any help either when I have to train with Armos. After waling, Armos and I train a little, just to keep our skills sharp. I usually practice dodging by having Armos slice at me, and I have to roll or jump out of the way. He is really fast, I mean, REALLY fast. I'm lucky I dodge half of the hits! I'm glad I have my shield too, or I'd be toast by now. _

_I also practice aiming my gun quickly and decisively. Armos will charge at me, and I have to hit him, or he knocks me over. The first night I did this, my stomach was so bruised at the end that it hurt to move. Tonight, however, I managed a couple hits on him. One was when he almost tripped on a rock, and the second, I think I was just lucky. _

_While walking through an especially green area in the field, I saw a wild animal. It was brown, and had sharp claws, almost like a bear. However, it had no ears, and it walked on two legs all the time. It also had a small horn on the end of its nose. Armos said it was called a Booma. He also said there were three classifications for Boomas: Boomas, Goboomas, and Gigoboomas. The one we saw was a basic Booma. _

_The Booma we saw was a cub, and shortly after we saw it, the mother came. Her eyes were a strange crimson red, and she roared at us. She charged at us, and Armos quickly stabbed her before she could hurt us. Neither of us has ever seen a Booma act like that. Armos noted that Boomas were usually shy and gentle, even when handling their young. We sent a blood sample to the city, to see what was wrong with it. Armos made a small telepipe, and sent a small test tube through it straight to the lab._

_I had to kill the baby cub. Armos said it was for the best because its mom was dead. I nearly cried when I held it, rocked it, and then put the gun to its head. The shot rang loudly through the forest, and the Booma died with a shiver. I hope I never have to kill an innocent soul like that again. It has been a long day, so I'll close now._

_Kemero_

* * *

_Journal,_

_It is the second day of the journey. I assume it will take about three days to make it all the way to the mine. I'm sure Kemero won't be happy when we get to the mine, however. It is so big that it takes almost as long the journey to the mine to the central teleporter. I don't want to tell him, though. He's so happy that we're almost there that it would break my spirits to see him get depressed. Wow, I never imagined myself being sentimental, but I guess I've changed. Maybe, just maybe, Kemero is changing me.._

_He's giving me hope…hope for a forsaken one, for me…_

_He might give me the strength to-_

* * *

Armos stopped the movements of his pen, and read his entry. He clenched his free hand, turning his knuckles white under the gloves. _What am I thinking? There's no way-_

"Armos! Turn of your light! I can't sleep!" Kemero yelled all the way from the other tent. Armos turned to the adjacent tent to see a half asleep Kemero crouching in the doorway of his tent.

"Sorry. I didn't know I would be writing for so long," he replied quietly, and turned the switch off of a portable light. In the dark, Armos could hear Kemero zip his tent back up, and then rustle around in his blankets to get comfortable. Armos, however, was still, with his pen still on the page of his journal. The ink had spread, and blotted a couple of the words, but he didn't care. Suddenly, thoughts of the last interrogation flooded into his head.

_**No hope…**_ the words echoed through his mind just like they did a couple weeks ago. The wind seemed to suddenly turn cold to Armos, and the hunter wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. He then got under the blankets and had a fitful sleep.

* * *

Kemero faced a rocky hill, with a slope that steepened as you got farther. Armos glanced at Kemero.

"After we climb up here, we'll reach the mine," Armos said. The wind blew by, playing with the adventurers' hair.

"Want to make a bet?" Kemero asked, a smirk growing on his face. "Let's see who can climb up faster." Armos smirked back at him.

"Are you serious? This will be cake," Armos replied, cracking his knuckles.

_I need to see what I'm really up against…I know I can't beat this guy,_ Kemero thought. "Fine. On your mark…Get set…" Armos and Kemero lowered to a proper position. "GO!" Armos dashed up the hill with incredible speed, while Kemero did his best to keep up. When the slopes became steeper, the two resorted to climbing. Armos and Kemero worked quickly, yet carefully through the rocks, making sure that none were loose.

Kama whirled around Armos' head, chasing each other in one of their games and happily making noise. The hunter ignored them, climbing quickly. The tow were past halfway when Asparus decided to join the two larger mags. It flew straight up towards its friends, but missed. It ran straight into Armos' golden head. The hunter looked back down to see the fuss with a frown on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked them, but got happy beeps as a reply. Kemero silently laughed as he grabbed hold of a rock and pulled himself up about a meter.

Kama saw Asparus' collision with Armos as a game. Suddenly, Kama and Asparus were running into each other and into Armos' head.

"Stop it!" he yelled, swiping a hand at them. The other hand that held the rock began to slowly slip out of grasp. However, Armos noticed too late, and fell backwards.

"Armos!" Kemero screamed, as his partner fell right towards him. Mind racing, Kemero took a hand off the rocks and grabbed a rope from his backpack. With a practiced aim, he tossed it up at Armos, who was getting closer every second. The hunter grabbed the rope with both hands, making sure he wouldn't slip again.

Armos stuck his feet in front of him and planted his feet into the rock. Kemero sighed with relief.

"Thanks…Kemero," Armos replied, breathing slightly heavy. Kemero just nodded and kept going up.

* * *

"Kama, you could've caused some serious damage!" Armos scolded, wagging a dangerous finger towards Kama. The mag inched back slightly, ashamed of itself, and shook. Kemero was dealing with Asparus as well.

"Asparus, you need to be more careful, alright?" he said, his arms folded in an irritated way. Asparus beeped sadly and cuddled under the ranger's ear, trying to earn cheer up its partner.

Armos looked ahead. Right in front of both of them was the large white and black dome. The fences guarding it were decayed and broken, and the door hung open.

"That place looks…interesting," Kemero remarked. Armos rolled his eyes and the two walked inside the mine.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Yay!! My goal for this story was 20 chapters, but I think we may be able to go to, like, 30!!

Armos: Yay!

Kemero: Whoo!!! (dances)

Mr.Who2123: Well, please review.


	18. Annoying Mine

Mr.Who2123: I've had a great number of amazing things happen in my PSO game. I had a level 92 that got deleted, and I have a new character that's level 28. Lastly, I got Kama again!!! YAY!!! All I had to do was give it pure power, and it evolved!

Armos: And the new character is named after me!!

Mr.Who2123: Yup. Now let's begin.

* * *

Inside the mine, there were desks lining the edges of the room, flashing with lights. Tiny droids floated around, monitoring the automatic system. Everything seemed so white as well. The walls were white, the floors were white, and even all the robots were white.

Kemero whistled in amazement. "So this is the mine?" he asked, looking behind him. Armos nodded.

"Still running perfectly, just like when I last visited," Armos replied, observing all of the machines in the room. Kemero raised a brow.

"Last time?"

"Yeah, I was sent here to make sure this mine was running well, when it was still used. Nowadays, it just runs automatically, but it doesn't mine ore anymore," he replied. Armos walked nonchalantly up to a desk and looked at the screen built in it. He smiled after looking at it for a few moments.

"It seems all mechanisms are functional. We'll have no problem getting to the teleporter," he explained, and then set off for the nearest door. Kemero ran after him.

"How long will it take? A couple hours?" he asked. The door opened automatically for them, and the two stepped into the next room. It was a long, thin hallway that stretched to their left, to three other doors. Armos mumbled an inaudible reply.

"Uh, I didn't hear you," Kemero said.

"A couple…days," Armos muttered. Kemero stopped, his face becoming an expression of horror and frustration.

"…Days?"

"Days," Armos confirmed, looking sad himself. Kemero sighed, trying to let out all of his frustration. The two made their way up to the three way path. Armos stopped to glance at each door, and then chose the door to the right. The next door was a square room like the first, except it had no mechanisms. There was a large, red, moth-eaten rug on the floor. There were a couple couches, both red and small, lining a wall.

"Apparently, this is the lounge, but, as you can see, no one uses it anymore," Armos explained, walking for the next doorway. Kemero smiled at the thought of sleeping on a couch.

"Can we sleep here tonight?" Kemero pleaded with his partner. Armos shook his head solemnly, however.

"We'll be a lot farther by the time we setup camp," Armos replied, and continued without another word, while Kemero followed with a constantly breaking spirit. The two then came upon the next door, but it was not automatic. There was a small pad on a wall next to it, and Kemero figured it was a system that allowed only certain personnel in. Armos approached the pad, which suddenly talked in a monotone voice.

"Identification please," it said. Armos cleared his throat and said his name. After a moment of the machine scanning the name, it responded. "Name not found in database. Please try another name." Armos cocked his head slightly.

"I put my name in last week," he said.

"Name not found in database, please try another name," the machine beeped, responding to Armos' voice. Kemero held a bemused grin and Armos sighed.

"Sage Geffen," Armos tried, but still got declined entry. Armos struggled to compose himself. He tried the name of a scientist that used to work at the mine.

"Name not found in database. Please try another name," it replied yet again.

"I am done with this security system," Armos muttered, aggravated, and pulled out his giant blade.

"Name not found in database. Please-," before the poor system could even finish, Armos lithely sliced the pad in half, and sheathed the weapon again, as if nothing happened at all. The door opened up, and the two made their way through, one of them relieved of the annoying, monotone voice, and the other nearly bursting out with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Armos asked darkly when Kemero accidentally let out a snicker.

"It's just funny how you dealt with the thing," he replied, letting his giggling continue freely. Armos muttered a silent curse.

Like before, the next room was white, with little flying droids doing their automated duties. However, the lights were off due to the smashing of the security system. The room was still visible, but it was hard to spot the next doorway. Kemero squinted his hazel eyes and tried to spot the door. He spotted two shining red specks to his left, however. Suddenly, Kemero was pulled down by his partner.

"Hey, what are you-!" Kemero shouted, but a beam shot right over him, barely missing him by a hair…literally. Silence swept over the two as they sat there, conscious of every move and noise. If a pin dropped, Kemero knew he would jump out of his skin. After a moment of pure silence, Kemero heard metal pounding on metal, and it was constantly getting louder.

"What is that?" Kemero asked, shifting to one knee. Armos replied by pulling out his two photon blades. It's definitely not something nice. Kemero pulled out the Varista from his waist and loaded it. Armos quickly dashed towards the red specks and sliced it. Kemero heard it collapse on the floor and Armos came back.

"Security robots," he explained grimly. "But I am a registered member, and the robots should recognize me. Why is this place getting strange?" Kemero just shrugged back. He barely knew what Armos was talking about, so how could he help him?

Suddenly, a metal fist socked Armos straight in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Armos fell to a knee and clutched his stomach. The same robot stood there, limping without a leg and glowing with out of control electricity.

"I thought it was destroyed," he gasped. Kemero aimed quickly, thanks to the training, and shot the robot in its chest and head. Once again, it fell back, but it exploded and became no more. Kemero then rushed to Armos to check on him. The hunter moved away his hand from his stomach, and cursed at what was under. A small needle protruded from the wound.

"Sleeping…medicine…," he muttered, and then fell unconscious.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_Armos weighs a TON!!! I had to carry him to a safe place because he ingested sleeping medicine and still hasn't woken up. This might be a great time for revenge…while he's sleeping. I could draw on his face…but he wouldn't notice. I mean, it's not like he looks in the mirror or anything…I think._

_Well, we're in the mine. We're going to travel for a couple DAYS through this place. Man, it must be huge! It's big on the outside, but I didn't think it could be that big!_

_Anyways, there are scary security robots all around here. I only barely escaped with my head a couple times. They shoot these crazy light blue beams that will definitely give you a wound to remember. It's also kind of strange doing everything myself. Armos usually cooks the food and stuff because I can make eggs, and that's probably it. Oh, and brownies…if I have the instructions. I love to eat the leftover batter…it's so sweet!! Wait, I'm going off subject. I guess I'm just hungry. Well, that's all I have to report that is interesting. Good night._

_Kemero_

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Ahhh! Now I want brownies!!

Armos: Brownies? What's that?

Kemero and Mr.Who2123: GASP! You don't know???

Armos: Uh, no?

Kemero: (Faints)


	19. The Fate of the City

Mr.Who2123: Can't…get…PSO out…of my head!! AHHH!! PSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSO!!!!!!!!

Armos: Ahh! What's wrong with you?

Mr.Who2123: PSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSOPSO! (Translation: I LOVE PSO!!!!!!)

Kemero: What's PSO?

Armos and Mr.Who2123: (Fall Down) **P**hantasy **S**tar **O**nline!

Armos: The game you were created in.

Kemero: 0.o I was created in a game???

Mr.Who2123: (Sigh) Let's just begin.

* * *

Armos opened his eyes slightly and groaned. His head was pounding with pain, and he felt like barfing. He found himself on a sleeping bag, inside his tent.

"Where…where am I?" he asked, getting up. His pain eased greatly when he moved, so he decided to walk around and see what was going on. He was in the mine, but there were no enemies, and no Kemero.

"Kemero?" he asked, walking down an empty hallway. Armos spotted another tent, and quickened his pace towards it. He heard snoring, and stopped, smirking. _Looks like we're safe…good._ The hunter walked into another empty room and pulled out his communicator.

"Hey old man, are you there?" Armos asked through the small device. At first there was no response, but then there was a crackling noise, and then the sage's voice.

"Armos are you in the mine?" he asked in a hurry. His breathing was fast and ragged, as if he just ran a couple miles.

"Yeah, are you alright, though?" Armos asked in return. There was a pause before answering.

"Armos, war is breaking out," he replied. The hunter, however, just narrowed his eyes at the communicator. "We need you." Armos stared at the small device for a moment, studying its sleek, dark design. He sighed internally. _So it will be a bit longer before I see it…that's good._

"Alright, we'll connect the teleporter when we find it. I should be able to activate it again," Armos replied.

"Okay, we'll be expecting you and Kemero in fifteen hours," the Sage said, and ended the communication. Armos smirked at the Regallion leader's hastiness. _I would hate to have that job. It takes up too much time. When you're a general, you only work when there's a war,_ he thought, and walked back to their campsite. He could still hear Kemero snoring, and Armos was rid of almost all the pain that the robot caused. The hunter briskly walked to his partner's tent and went inside.

Kemero was lying on his stomach, and a small pool of drool was on his pillow. Armos frowned in disgust before picking up a pillow with his forefinger and thumb. He then chucked it at the ranger, which bounced harmlessly off of the ranger's head. Kemero shook his head as if the pillow were still on his head, and looked up to see his solemn partner.

"Oh, you're awake! Cool, now we can keep…going…," and the tired ranger fell back to sleep before Armos could even say a word.

* * *

The Principal sat with the other four and the Sage in a conference. There was an air of dark solemnity that got thicker and tighter with each passing second of silence. The Dimenians were building up in great numbers, and a few had even lingered to Corgrassa. Even worse, the rebels have also begun building forts around the city, just outside its borders. Principal Tyrell glanced at a member of the five that he had taken a liking to. The man, Delran, met the Principal's gaze and smiled to reassure his acquaintance. The Sage stood up at the end of the long table to gain the group's attention.

"As you know, we are about to enter a war, and not just any war, the biggest war in history. Dimenians are gathering to attack us as well as the rebels that are stationed outside of borders. Also, our two generals are out, and will come back in about fifteen hours. Does anyone have any ideas of how to advance on the situation?" he asked, his withered face looking to each of his top advisors.

Delran stood up with confidence in his movements. The other five turned to listen to his suggestion with great interest.

"Why don't we take out the rebels once and for all? Just because they are out of our borders doesn't mean we have to leave them there. Let's do it now, while our forces are strong, and their's are not. Then, with the generals back, we could have a chance against those monsters," he said, mostly making eye contact with the Sage. After he sat back down, there were murmurs of agreement spread among the members, sharing their thoughts with one another. The Sage stood up, and the whispering abruptly stopped.

"Are there any other suggestions?" he asked, then sat back down. A woman, who Principal Tyrell knew as Aenon, stood up. Her long, red hair swayed as she looked to each member before talking.

"Well, should we just move our people? I mean, there is a lot of land to be discovered. There are the other countries that would gladly aid us if we asked," she explained. Just like the previous suggestion, people muttered to each other about the suggestion until the Sage stood up once more.

"Are there any other suggestions?" he asked again. Principal Tyrell looked at the table, deep in thought. _I wonder of Kemero is alright. I would hate to lose him through some war we're not even concerned in,_ he thought, not hearing the Sage. Delran nudged him from the right, and the Principal looked up to see him smiling.

"It'll be fine, Tyrell," he whispered. The Principal nodded as a small smile came to his own lips as well.

"Let us take a vote to see which plan we should follow: Delran's plan to fight, or Aenon's plan to retreat," the Sage announced. "Raise your hand if you wish to follow Aenon's plan." Aenon, as well as two others, raised their hands. _Looks like we lost, _the Principal thought sadly, seeing the vote already outnumbered Delran.

"Now for Delran," the Sage said. Tyrell rose his hand with Delran, but they were the only ones. "It looks like a tie." Tyrell looked around. _A tie? There are five members, and they won!_ He thought. Delran, understanding his confusion, pointed to the end of the table. The Sage himself raised his hand for the plan to fight.

"To break this tie, we shall bring in my assistant. He will decide what to do," the Sage explained, and left to get the Kruffca. As soon as the door was shut, arguments over the plans began.

"We need to fight! To protect our land!"

"We can protect ourselves by fleeing!"

"We can take on those monsters and the rebels at once!"

"There's nothing wrong in fleeing if it is to protect!"

"Well, I think-"

"No, we should-"

Tyrell watched the argument in disapproval. _So these are the smartest people in all of Corgrassa, and they are arguing like kids,_ he muttered in his mind, dropping his head onto the desk.

When the click of the door sounded, silence befell each and every member. The five all watched as the door slowly opened with the Sage behind it, and Kruffca behind him. They stiffened at the sight of their tiebreaker, Kruffca. The poor assistant had no idea how much trouble he was about to go through…

One of the members flashed cash at the assistant as he began to walk to the end of the table. Aenon pulled out her whole wallet and tossed it into the air carelessly, and caught it again. Delran and Tyrell just watched the bribing, shaking their heads in disgust. Kruffca sat down at the edge of the table, and the Sage stood next to him.

"Kruffca, you must decide whether you want Corgrassa to fight or retreat for this war," he explained. All eyes were on Kruffca, and it was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. The assistant looked nervously from person to person. _This all rests on me. My decision could lead to the city's salvation…_Kruffca gulped_ …or destruction._

"I…I…choose to fight," he stuttered. The sage beamed with Delran and Tyrell, while the other members grumbled in defeat.

* * *

Armos walked through another door. Kemero was right behind him, still rubbing sleep out of his hazel eyes. Armos dumped cold water on him earlier, leaving the ranger drenched, tired, and angry.

"Uh-oh, here come the Gillchics," Armos alerted to his partner, pulling out his twin blades. Kemero pulled out his gun, but was confused.

"Gillchics?" he asked.

"The security robots. There are about five in this room. I'll take three; you take two, oh, and make sure that they actually die. They will get knocked over, but they will get back up to keep fighting," Armos explained. He pushed the teeny button on his blades, and light blades rose from the small hilts. Kemero nodded and loaded his Varista.

The hunter rushed into the room and sliced horizontally at a Gillchic with its back to its attacker. Kemero then ran out after Armos and shot at the farthest enemy. It stumbled down, but came back up just as Armos said. _Darn it, and I can't hit it when it's down either, it's too hard to aim at,_ he thought, waiting for it to rise again.

Kemero then chose his bazooka as a weapon so it could just blast them to bits. He thrust the strap to his front, and pulled the giant trigger. A blast of photon consumed the Gillchic and all that was left were bits of metal.

Suddenly, another Gillchic came up behind the ranger, and whacked him on the head with a metal fist. Kemero grumbled and jumped back to get a better aim on the enemy. He waited for the machine to reload from its last blast while the Gillchic headed straight for the 'intruder.' Kemero jumped away even further to get away from the robot, but it stopped moving when Kemero was across the room from it. _What a dumb robot. Oh, good, the charge is almost done,_ he thought, aiming at the robot, which was not just standing anymore.

Its metal fist opened up, and a small gun emerged from inside the arm. Kemero cursed, and waited for the bazooka to charge. _C'mon, c'mon!_ he muttered in his head. Just as the charge completed, Kemero found it was too late. A dark blue beam gathered at the tip of the gun, and shot out quickly towards the ranger. Fortunately, Kemero rolled out of the way and shot the robot, destroying it like the last one.

Kemero then heard footsteps and looked to his right to see what it was. However, Armos was standing there with his blades put away already.

"C'mon, let's get going," he said with a smile, and Kemero thrust the strap around until the bazooka was once again safely on his back. The ranger then got to his feet, following the hunter through the next door.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: I'm so giddy! My new character is now level 44!! I'm getting closer and closer to 92!!

Armos: Yeah, she went on hard mode and power leveled her character from 30 to 44. Oh, and she also named her character after me!

Kemero: Did her brother name his character after me?

Mr.Who2123: Nope. I made up the name for you, but my brother doesn't like it too much. Also, his old character was a half robot with a robot name, so it wouldn't suit you.

Kemero: Review!

Mr.Who2123: Did you even listen to what I said??

Kemero: I want a bazooka!

Mr.Who2123: (Sigh)


	20. Oncoming War

Mr.Who2123: Haven't updated in awhile…maybe because I'm still on my power level mode with Armos…he's level 53!!

Armos: Woot!

Mr.Who2123: And my brother's guy…level 32…

Kemero: Sniff…no fair.

Mr.Who2123: Anyways, I don't own PSO or anything. But I think you know that.

Armos: Yup.

Kemero: Begin!

* * *

Armos stepped through another automatic door, his blades held up in readiness for a surprise. Kemero held his Varista in one hand as well, glancing around the room.

"Looks like there's no ambush here," Armos said, and his blades withdrew into the handles. Kemero nodded and pocketed his handgun.

"Are we almost to the transportation room? We were supposed to be at Corgrassa in fifteen hours, and it's already three," Kemero complained, and followed Armos across the long hallway.

"Yeah, we need to get to floor B2, which is right below the first floor," Armos explained. He turned left and entered another door. Inside was a tiny red photon teleporter, where the beams of light moved down, rather than up.

"This leads to floor B2," Armos said, and the two went inside. Kemero's stomach lurched as he felt himself pulled off of the ground, and into a black and red insanity of feeling like he had been tumbling over himself ten times. Somehow, though, he found himself on his feet, and feeling fine.

"Wow, that wasn't as bad as before," Kemero stated, relieved. Armos was already at the door, ignoring Kemero. "Hey, what's going on?" Kemero walked next to his partner, and faced the room in front of them.

The whole room was destroyed. All of the lights were off, broken wires were everywhere, and all the machines were doing their best to stay on. Papers cluttered the floor, obscuring it. Even the little robots that would fly around were gone.

"What happened?" Kemero asked softly, his eyes wide. Armos slowly shook his head with his eyes still pasted on the destruction.

* * *

The Sage paced around in front of the monstrous army of Corgrassa. After a moment, he looked up at the stiff and still soldiers, their eyes all on him.

"Who's third in command here?" the Sage asked. His voice rang across the metal walls of the room, and one soldier stepped forward.

"Sir. Commander McKay at your service," he said. He was a smaller man, but was still taller than the Sage.

"Could you plan an attack to destroy all of the rebel camps? I want the attack finished in twelve hours," the Sage ordered, and left the army. McKay turned to the huge army, his stature making him seem bigger than he really was.

"There are twenty-five camps, and we have 500,000 soldiers. We have 20,000 soldiers to each camp! We need information on the enemies before we attack. Split into twenty-five teams right now!" McKay ordered, and the soldiers moved stiffly into their groups. In only a minute, there were twenty-five groups, with the soldiers in perfect formation, standing tall and proud.

McKay looked around the huge room and smiled. He had always dreamed of commanding an army, and it felt very rewarding to do this.

"I want one leader from every group to come here right now!" McKay then ordered, and turned around to a table. On it was a map of the city, and all of the camp's locations. Twenty five men each picked their targets, and then marched back to their groups.

"Now form a plan for the camp you will attack and I will report back in one hour," the commander ordered, and stalked out of the room, and into the open air of the city. The building he just left was designed like a giant rectangle with a roof on top of it. There were no windows, and only one secret door. He made his way to the giant government building, and entered it. No one paid attention to the full armored commander as he went inside the elevator, and made his way to the top floor of the Sage's room.

Soon, the commander was knocking on the giant oaken door, and the Sage came out, his face solemn.

"Are you ready to attack?" the Sage asked, letting McKay in.

"As we speak, the soldiers are preparing for war. All I need is a quick question," McKay replied. "About how many soldiers to each camp?"

"We have reports that there are 5,000 to each camp. Will that be a problem?" the Sage asked, and rose a white brow.

"No sir, I just needed to know, so that the armies can be properly prepared. Now, sir, I shall be going back," McKay lowered his head and left the room, to the elevator.

_This will be easy. 20,000 ambushing 5,000. I don't think we'll have any casualties. And maybe I'll get promoted, and leave that human commander in the dust. Haha, I am so good,_ McKay thought, smiling as he left the elevator, and out of the building. _Being a commander is the best._

* * *

Armos carefully tread through the room, hoping not to trigger an alarm for the Gillchics. The robots would come out from the ceiling and drop on the floor right in front of you. Kemero stepped on a metal object, and accidentally smashed it. The metal crunched and cracked loudly, making Kemero wince and Armos whirl on his partner.

Ten giant humanoid shaped robots fell from the ceiling, and moved quickly to the two intruders.

"You idiot!"

"Sorry…,"

Armos took out his giant sword, and knocked three robots to the floor, while Kemero shot the rest down as well. However, the robots brought themselves back up, and attacked the generals.

Kemero, thankful for his shield, shot a robot, which fell back, and kept shooting it until it was in pieces. Armos jumped away from five Gillchics, and sliced them down like he did before, but this time, Armos kept slicing them while they were down as well. In no time, the robots were gone, and Armos sighed happily.

"We're indestructible," Kemero huffed, pocketing his gun. Armos snorted.

"Yeah, with you shield. Without it, you would be dead," Armos added, raining on Kemero's parade.

"Shut up," Kemero snapped, and the two entered the next room. It was a large room, and the lights flickered on and off.

"Looks like this is the least destroyed room. Let's see if it has the location of the teleportation room," Armos said, and ran to a computer desk. The computer itself was off, but there was almost no damage to it. He entered a few keys, and the machine made a buzzing noise, but the screen didn't turn on.

"C'mon," Armos urged, clicking some more keys. Suddenly, the screen lit up, and showed a video file on it.

"Kemero, come here. I've found something," Armos said, and clicked on the file. The screen then showed in big words 'Monthly check On The Mine. Check No. 56.' Armos thought for a moment.

"Check No. 50 was about a year ago, so this takes place a half a year ago," Armos explained. Then, it showed three armed men. The first had short brown hair, and wore similar attire to Armos, however, it was red, and not teal. The second was a woman, with two daggers. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she was looking around the mine, bewildered. The third was a scientist, who was there just incase there was a mechanical problem in the mine.

"I'm Ren, and we're checking up on the mine," the red clad swordsman explained. "Or…what's left of it. Here, take a look." The camera then shifted to the room, which looked exactly like the one Armos and Kemero were in.

"Ren, Dr. Graves, and I, Emma, have been checking out this place, but we have no idea how it got destroyed," Emma explained. The scientist, Dr. Graves, was looking around, and wrote information on a clipboard. Then, in the video, there was a high pitched roar. The people in the video looked around, and held up their weapons.

"What was that?" Ren asked, his sword held up in front of him. Then, it sounded again, and Dr. Graves hid behind the hunters.

"It's getting closer!" Emma shouted, turned to a door to their right. The hairs on Kemero's neck prickled at the roar.

Then, the door burst open, and dozens of Dimenians came through, roaring, and slicing at the two hunters. At first it seemed Ren and Emma could take care of them as they sliced and dodged the attackds, but soon, the Dimenians over powered the three with number, and it was hard to see the hunters anymore.

"Don't…come…to…the mine!...Dimenians!!!...AHHHHHH!!" was the scream of the doctor, and then the screen showed a Dimenian stare at the video. The monster raised its photon claw, and sliced the video screen with no mercy. Suddenly, it turned off, but the screams of the victims still sounded.

Kemero nearly fainted as he stared at the fuzzy screen. Armos was wide eyed at it as well, worrying over the Dimenians.

"I…need to upload this to a disc to show the old man," Armos said quietly, and grabbed a blank disc. He inserted it into the computer, and dragged the video into the disc. In only a moment, the disc had it, and popped out from the drive.

The two then ran for the next room, which had computer desks as well. However, there was a metal square, which was a foot or two above the ground.

"This is it! The teleportation room! Get on that base!" Armos yelled, pointing to the square. Kemero obeyed, and waited as Armos activated the controls.

"Let's see…to Corgrassa," Armos muttered aloud his thoughts, and the photon teleporter had blue lines appear that moved upwards. "Activate in ten seconds." Armos quickly ran next to Kemero on the bar, and waited for the teleporter to activate. Suddenly, the two were sent through it, and appeared right in front of the city, which was bustling with people like any other normal day.

* * *

Mr.Who2123; Whoo! Done!

Armos; So…so scary!

Kemero: I know!

Mr.Who2123: I've always wanted to write something like that…


	21. Defense Is the Best Offense

Mr.Who2123: Hello!! And welcome to Chapter 21 of my amazing story.

Armos: (cough) amazing? Yeah right.

Kemero: And what's with the whole 'WELCOME' thing?

Mr.Who2123: Well, I just got back from a cruise, and… (stops in realization) Kemero! You said something intelligent?!?!

Armos: (Gasp)

Kemero: Hehehe…uh…Mr.Who2123 does not own PSO?

Mr.Who2123: Whatever, lets just begin.

Armos: I need to sit down…

* * *

Armos and Kemero watched the city folk do their daily business, relieved to see their home again.

"It almost feels like we never left," Kemero said, and started for the government building.

"Yeah." Armos followed his partner, relieved as well. As the two walked nonchalantly through town, Armos noticed the large building for the army was unusually empty, as no one patrolled the place.

"Wait, Kemero, I need to check this place," Armos said, making a run for the building. Kemero turned to the building, confused, and followed Armos.

* * *

The Sage looked out of the window next to one of the many desks he was working on, and noticed large groups of soldiers marching away from the city.

"Looks like the army is on its way to take out the rebels," he noted, and returned to his work.

_Armos and Kemero…where are those two?_ He thought, sighing.

* * *

Commander McKay smiled widely as he watched his men head to each of the camps.

_I'll definitely be promoted after this,_ he though greedily. _That human has no right to mess with us Regallions. _

* * *

There were twenty-five camps, and the leader of the team to destroy the first camp made their way to their destination. He was in the front, wearing various medallions earned for serving the city. They jingled, playing the tune of pride as he made his way boldly towards the camp.

He noticed his destination, and marched a little faster towards it, unsheathing his giant photon blade. He pushed the button, and a giant red blade shot out, glowing bright, even in the sunlight.

As soon as the team was within shooting range of the camp, the leader thrust his arm into the air, with his sword gleaming in the sun.

"ATTACK!!!!!" he yelled, and charged into the camp. Photon bullets rained upon the hundreds of tents sprawled out, cutting the cloth as easily as a hot knife through butter. The leader made his way into the largest tent, which he assumed to be the commander's tent, and held his sword out, ready to fight. However, the tent was desolate, and everything was already packed away.

"Oh my go-," he muttered, cursing as he sheathed his blade. "BACK TO THE CITY!!!!!!!!!" he screamed as loud as he could, and dashed for Corgrassa.

* * *

McKay was happily daydreaming of his future as general, when three figures burst into the building on the other side of him.

"What, may I ask, are you DOING?!?!" one voice shrieked. It was undoubtedly Armos.

"Rebels are attacking the city in full force!!" another voice said. The Sage.

_What?!?! _Was all that McKay thought.

"And you're just sitting here?!?!?!" the last voice yelled. _The human._

"What's wrong everyone? I handled it! There are troops killing the rebels right now!" McKay retorted defensively.

"Are you stupid?" Armos yelled. He walked dangerously to the third in command. "You had every single soldier leave to attack, and left the city defenseless. I don't quite think you've _handled it._" The last two words were muttered through teeth clenched by pure anger. McKay was even wishing he'd been yelled at instead of having that strange calm tone. It chilled him to the bone to hear the icy words come out of the general's mouth.

McKay gulped. _Oops._

"Hey, Armos, I'd fire him!" Kemero shouted from across the room. Armos glanced back and chanced a small smirk.

"I agree. McKay, get out," Armos remarked, and McKay stared wide eyed at his general. Armos had always been his hero when he was younger, and he just…fired him? After much hesitation, McKay dashed out of the building, throwing down his commander's helmet. Armos watched after the door which he fled, as if the commander was still there.

"While our men are miles away from here, rebels will attack in only a matter of time," the Sage stated, shuffling to the general. "Oh, and how did you know that our soldiers were gone and the rebels coming?"

* * *

_Armos looked into the window of the building. He noticed McKay watching the outside of the city, so he moved to the side of the building where he could see. There was the grass field around the city, like always, except all 20,000 soldiers were marching in different directions; not one stayed. _

_Kemero was right behind Armos, still puzzled at his strange actions, but followed loyally. He knew that Armos wouldn't run over to a random building just because it was fun…Or…would he?? Kemero shook his head away from the funny thoughts, and looked back at the city. A group of girls walked by Kemero, and the ranger noticed one looking at him with a smile. She had dark brown hair that was curled and fell to her shoulders. Her deep blue dress fell to her knees, and blue earrings dangled from her small ears._

What a flirt, _he thought, smiling back. _I'll need to find out her number…do they even use phones anymore?

_Then, something else caught his eye. Across the city was a huge black mass of people coming towards the city. _

"_Armos, what's that?" Kemero asked, tapping his partner on the shoulder. The hunter turned to the direction indicated by Kemero, and instantly recognized it._

"_Rebels!" Armos burst, and ran for the government building where he got the Sage._

* * *

"Okay, we need a plan, and fast," Armos said, looking through a window. He could only partially see the mass, but they were definitely closer.

"I'd say they are about ten minutes from attacking," the Sage said, and took a seat.

"We'd need some sort of bluff to make them think we have all our soldiers ready," Kemero stated, searching for some sort of plan in his head. "Could we dress up the people here as soldiers?"

"If they choose to attack, they'd kill the people without mercy," Armos replied without a hint of emotion. "But I like the idea of a bluff." They all thought in quiet, each knowing that with each passing second comes closer to the destruction of the city. There was no way out of the thickening silence, and it kept getting tighter and tighter.

Suddenly, and idea came to Kemero, but he'd need to act fast, or it would all be for nothing.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: I'm only stopping here because I haven't thought of the plan yet…

Kemero: LOOK! I made an idea! ...In the story!!!!

Armos and Mr.Who2123: (sweat drop)

Armos: Anyways, please review.


	22. Out of the Frying Pan

Mr.Who2123: I'm on a role with writing!! I wrote two yesterday, and one the day before. WooT!!

Armos: Yeah, yeah, just keep writing…

Mr.Who2123: (In annoying voice) Meh, meh, meh, (normal voice) man, I write this awesome story, and all you do is treat me like dirt!!

Armos: Er…uhh…(cough) This is all a figment of your strange imagination…so, you're basically treating yourself like dirt.

Mr.Who2123: …Whoa, you're right…that's kind of weird.

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 does not own PSO, but she does own this story and her crazy mind!!

Mr.Who2123: That was kind of random, Kemero. Oh well. Begin!!

* * *

_Kemero followed his fellow general around the building. They curved around a couple hallways, and straight into a military conference room. The Sage had ordered Armos to tour the fellow general so that he would know what to do if Armos wasn't there at any time._

"_Here's the conference room," he said in the most bored tone Kemero has ever heard. The room was just as Kemero expected as well; a long table with a bunch of chairs. The room was very plain, with white walls and plain blue carpet. Kemero instinctively turned around, expected to be 'toured' to another, more exciting place, but Armos walked inside and knelt by a chair._

"_Hey, what are you doing?" Kemero asked, following his comrade to the spot._

"_Under this table is a switch...aha! Found it. Anyways, it's a switch to a bunch of explosives and guns," Armos explained. After pressing a small white button, the farthest wall from the door turned around, and a shelf of explosives was in its place. Kemero looked at the huge shelf like it was crazy._

"_Why would you have a bunch of guns and bombs in a conference room?" Kemero asked, looking back and forth at the shelf and his partner. Armos only shrugged back._

"_I guess in case there's an emergency. The old man gets way too over prepared, though," Armos answered, shaking his head. "Let's go. I want this over with." Armos clicked the small button again, and the shelf disappeared behind the plain wall once again._

_Next was the hall that led to the main defense of the city; tall, metallic walls with high tech canons all over the place. Kemero smiled at the sight; it almost looked like futuristic medieval scene. Guards were posted, patrolling the wall, with a clear view up to a couple miles away. _

"_This is our main wall of defense. This side is much more patrolled because the rebels are located in this direction, and they are the only threat to us, even if they are only a small one," Armos explained in his monotonous tone. _

"_The view is pretty," Kemero thought out loud, and Armos rose a brow._

"_Pretty? All I see is a big field," he retorted, beginning to walk away. Kemero made a face at the hunter, and took in the view. The mountains were so far that they looked like they could fit in Kemero's palm. Their soft, dark purple hue was brightened by the sun high above them. The sky was a pale blue, with not a cloud in sight. The field, oh the field was the best part. With the wind, they shifted, as if it were one giant figure. Each little blade seemed to reflect the sun, and sparkle, as if it were water. _

"_Kemero!" Armos called from inside. The ranger sighed and followed his partner._

* * *

Kemero immediately ran for the exit of the military building.

"I've got a plan!! C'mon!" Kemero yelled to the two Regallions. They quickly shook off their surprised expressions and followed Kemero. The ranger moved as fast as he could. He shouldered through crowds of passersby, shunning off the rude comments most made.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, stupid!" one screeched, but was then pushed out of the way by the old man and Armos. Of course, he didn't comment to _them._ Kemero was forced to shoulder through crowds, while they practically made a pathway for the Regallions.

_Why don't I get that kind of recognition?_ Kemero wondered, glancing back to make sure the two weren't far behind. Suddenly, Armos caught up to Kemero and passed him. With the people seeing Armos first, everyone parted quickly, and everyone could move quickly.

The three burst through the door, all waiting on Kemero.

"To the conference room!" Kemero shouted, and ran for the elevator. Armos looked through the clear elevator, watching the enemies coming closer and closer.

"We've wasted about 1 and a half minutes," he noted mentally as the elevator stopped, and they ran out. Kemero ran into the room and searched for the button. With a few moments of searching, Kemero found it, and clicked it.

Like normal, the shelf turned around, and rows of explosives lined it.

"Grab as many bombs as possible," Kemero ordered. The two others nodded, and grabbed all the bombs they could. The old sage, with his magic, lifted about twenty into mid-air. Armos grabbed fifteen, and Kemero ten.

"Okay, all we have to do is make it look like our canons are shooting at them, and they'll halt. They expect us to not expect, but if they see canons shooting at them, they'll definitely stop and make another plan," Kemero explained quickly. He was out of breath, and he could feel adrenaline pumping through him. He hadn't felt this excited in a long time. Armos nodded in agreement with the Sage.

"It's a good plan," the Sage said. "Risky, but it's our best shot." With the explosives, Kemero ran to a hallway that led up. The doorway up was bright, as it led to the outside. Through it was the top of the defensive wall.

"Five minutes," Armos noted as they made their way up. Instead of a grass field, it was a field of black, screaming soldiers marching for the city. Kemero then ran for the canons, loading one with an explosive.

"I hope these give off a big explosion!" Kemero shouted over the soldiers.

"You'll bet your life they do," Armos shouted back. "Helped make them myself!" Kemero chuckled slightly to himself in dry humor. _Is there anything he __**can't**__ do?_

The Sage easily used his photon energy to load five at a time, being done with all twenty of his within seconds.

"Two minutes!" Armos shouted, when everyone finished. The adrenaline pumped harder within Kemero, and was almost anxious to see what would happen. Armos lifted his hand, ready to cast magic to set off the canons. The Sage did the same as well, while Kemero just watched red energy gather in their hands.

"One minute and thirty seconds!" Armos called. Time was running out, and the soldiers had come even closer to the city. Kemero could hear some people noticing the soldiers, and running away below.

"Kemero," Armos suddenly said, extremely calm. His palm was outstretched, and filled with fire energy. "Give us the signal. You led us through this plan. Now commence it!" Kemero suddenly felt himself smile. He couldn't help but feel proud of what he'd done. Hey, who wouldn't? Saving a city is no small feat.

"Thirty seconds!! C'mon, Kemero!!" Armos yelled, looking straight at the enemy army. Kemero nodded and took a deep breath.

"FIRE!!!!!" he screamed, thrusting a hand towards the enemies. Immediately, the red energy flared into a giant fire, surrounding the two Regallions.

"RAFOIE!!!" they both yelled, signaling their attacks. The fire left their hands, and straight to all the fuses, planting themselves into the fuse, and then exploding with fire a second later. All the fuses were lit in seconds, and were all shot towards the enemy, flying at incredibly high speed.

They all fell to the enemies, but no explosion for a second, it was just silence, except for the crazy army only seconds away from attacking.

"Three…two…one…," Armos said, smirking slightly. Suddenly, a huge bang sounded from below, and then the screams of anger below turned into screams of fear. Then, it sounded again, and again, overpowering the sound of the rebels.

"Were you counting the time for when the soldiers would be coming, or when the bombs would explode?" the Sage practically screamed in his croaky voice over the explosions.

"Both!!" he shouted back. Then, someone below yelled a word that made them all smile in relief.

"REATREAT!!!!" a commander shouted, and the army made no complaint to that. Soon, it was silent, and the three were sitting back, relaxing from the tight situation they were just in.

"Good job, Kemero," the Sage said, smiling. His withered face looked considerably less wrinkled when he smiled, and Kemero just had to smile back and mutter a quick 'thanks.'

* * *

McKay was running as fast as he could, sweat pouring over his hardened face. He was in the mine, and somehow made it to floor B2 by himself. His blue sword was in his left hand, which was shaking from being used so much. He had himself nearly killed severely times, but managed to make it to where he wanted to be; the teleportation room.

He quickly punched the numbers for the ruin and stepped in it, feeling himself being lifted from the platform.

In minutes, he was in a nearly pitch black place. With hands still shaking, he made a light with his photon energy, and threw it into the air. Suddenly, the light expanded until the room was visible.

The walls were black, and the floor was clear. Under the floor was a pink substance that somehow was moving as if it was alive. It was shaped like a strange flower and emitted a gas that spread under him. Fear grew within McKay as he went through the only door that was there.

As soon as he went through it, McKay wished he didn't.

Dimenians were all around him, looking at him even if they had no eyes, and cornered the poor commander. One Dimenian put its claws on either side of McKay, pinning him into a still position.

"Wa…wait a minute. I-I know you want Armos," he said, terrified out of wits. He was sweating even more, and he felt himself grow cold while around these monsters.

A Dimenian thrust its claw an inch from the ex-commander's head.

"P-P-Please, I-I know where he is! I can he-help you," he stuttered. The Dimenian pinning him slowly let its claws retract from the sides. McKay smiled, just happy to be alive. But he needed revenge against that backstabbing general, and his little friend.

**We'll take your help gladly,** a voice said suddenly. It was high, and filled with malice and evil. Whatever it was, it talked like there was venom dripping from its words, coated, but still very scary.

"R-R-Really?" McKay asked, his smile wider. _He_ was doing the impossible. Fear gone, the ex-commander put away his sword.

**Yes, I'll just take the information from you and be on our way,** it said again. Suddenly, an oversized Dimenian appeared. Instead of teal energy flowing through it, it was yellow, three times the power of the normal Dimenian. A couple Dimenians from each side pinned McKay to the wall again, leaving him defenseless.

"I thought we had an agreement!" McKay shouted, his fear back in an instant.

**We do. I'm taking it from you. Watch as I use my minions to take your memories away from you and use them for myself! **The voice cackled, and the yellow Dimenian raised a giant claw pointed right at his forehead. McKay let a piercing scream before the claw went straight into his head, killing him instantly.

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Told you this story would get scarier and scarier…and sadder and sadder.

Armos: 00

Kemero: I saved the city!!!! WOOOOO!!!

Mr.Who2123: Hehehe, thanks Skyhawk for thinking of McKay deceiving. He did,and it's making my plot a ton better! (Cackles Evilly)

Armos: Please review…though probably only Skyhawk will…THANK YOU SKYHAWK!!

Mr.Who2123: I should be thanking her…

Armos: You ARE thanking her…I'm in your head, remember?

Mr.Who2123: Oh…yeah…


	23. Celebrating

Mr.Who2123: Okay, let's get this chapter going!! Woo!

Armos: (sweat drop) she's listening to some music right now, and when there's music on, she goes nuts.

Mr.Who2123: (Dancing) I own nothing! Woo! …Wait that's bad…oh well. (Starts Singing Randomly)

Armos: Well, at least the Disclaimer is out of the way.

Kemero: (Dancing) PARTY!!

Armos: I think I'm the only one sane right now…

* * *

The armies were all back together, celebrating over a victory. After the two generals and the leader warded away the enemies, the armies returned only minutes after, and were then sent to kill the rebels. It was a major victory, with two casualties, and the army was celebrating. All over the military building was celebrating soldiers, dancing, laughing, or just being crazy. Of course, Armos, Kemero, and the Sage were invited, for there would be no city if it weren't for those three.

Kemero was with a couple soldiers, talking about past military experiences, and laughing together. There were cups all over the table they were sitting at; obviously, they were either drunk or getting there.

"I can…kill a bazillion dimenios in my (hiccup) SLEEP!" Kemero shouted at the fellow drunken soldiers at his table. Armos, who was also at the table, was just watching the dumb disputes and stupid jokes. He smirked at the mispronunciation of 'Dimenians', and the whole dispute itself. They would get mad at each other, make up with each other, and then laugh at themselves, over and over in a cycle. The general decided to not to partake in all of the stupidity, and wasn't drunk one bit.

Armos found the fight five minutes ago quite amusing. Kemero and a soldier hugged, making up for their former fight, which was, of course, pointless. The fight was funny as heck as well. Kemero threw a punch at the soldier, which went about a fourth of a kilometer per hour. The soldier took the blow, which wasn't even that big, and fell back, more due to being drunk than to the attack. Then, Kemero suddenly felt bad, and hugged the soldier on the ground, nearly crying.

"Well, (hiccup) you do it in your sleep because it's in your DREAMS!! (Hiccup) HA!!" another soldier retorted dumbly. Armos looked to the soldier. He was a small soldier, young, and full of the spirit of a green soldier. Armos just knew when someone was new at something, just by looking at their face.

Kemero turned red at the comment, and shouted curses at the younger boy, who almost began crying.

_They're going to make up about…now,_ Armos thought, still smiling.

"Kevin? (Hiccup) I'm sorry Kevin!!" Kemero shouted, scooting out of his chair. He promptly went around the table and gave 'Kevin' a hug.

"I'm (Hiccup) Jay!" Jay replied.

"Duh, I called you (Hiccup) Jobe!" Kemero retorted.

"Okay, just wanted to make sure," Jay said, forgiving the Second in Command. Armos smacked his face in disbelief. _THIS is why I don't get drunk,_ he thought, watching the group suddenly make up jokes; numerous ones were already said, but no one remembered long enough to even know.

The Sage declined the party, saying he had too much work, but he really just wanted to get away from all the action. He liked the quiet of his office better than being in a giant, noisy party. Armos envied the old man, wishing he was back home, where he could do something besides listen to pointless conversations. However, the Sage wanted Armos and Kemero to be together in a 'fun' event, saying it would be good bonding.

_Some bonding,_ Armos thought sarcastically.

"(Hiccup) ARNOLD!! JOIN US!!" Kemero shrieked at Armos, who sighed at the name.

"My name is-" he began but Kemero cut him off.

"AMPHIBIAN! Have a DRINK!" the young soldier yelled as well. The poor general sighed. _Please, gods, help me resist the temptation to strangle these people,_ Armos pleaded inside of himself, looking up slightly.

"No thanks," he replied sullenly, glaring at his completely transformed partner. "I'm going, Kemero. Come back when you're sober again." Armos said, and scooted out of his chair. Kemero just watched dumbly as the general stalked up the steps and went through the door.

"Arnoldo doesn't (Hiccup) like jokes, huh?" the young soldier asked, and Kemero nodded.

* * *

The Sage was surprised to hear a knock on his door, and nearly jumped when one sounded. He stood up from his desk and wobbled to the door. He felt especially weak after the attack a couple days ago. He hadn't released that much energy in a long time. On the other side of the door, the Sage met with Armos.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the party?" he asked in his withered voice, stepping back to let Armos in.

"Well, I can't stand being around a bunch of drunken people," Armos replied indifferently, folding his arms. The Sage had to smile at his old friend, and nodded.

"What can I do for you?" he asked. Armos fell back into a cushy chair and let himself recline until he was comfortable.

"I want to request something," Armos replied, still talking in his uncaring tone. Somehow, it made everyone shiver to hear that voice. It was cold, hard, and almost heartless. He could be saying he was killing someone with that tone. The Sage had learned to ignore the tone; now it was completely immune to him.

"Request what?" the old man raised an eye brow, staring at his general.

"I'd just like a couple more days before we go back to the ruin. Mainly for Kemero," he answered. Armos abruptly stood up and walked up to the Sage, who was only a couple steps away. Folding his arms, Armos waited for the answer, watching his leader.

"…Alright, but after the third day, I'm sending you out of here," he answered. _Is sounds like I want them gone, but who am I kidding? Armos…I don't want you to go through that pain. It's so hard,_ he muttered desperately in his thoughts.

"Thanks, old man," Armos said, smiling, and left through the big door.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_I have the BIGGEST headache EVER!!! I think it's from drinking so much. I kind of let myself go at the party tonight. I can't remember much either…just Armos dragging me out after I passed out. I woke up to see I was being carried by him…it was kind of awkward. Well, how could it not be awkward? He just muttered to me that I shouldn't drink. I guess I was crazy at the party…maybe I should ask Armos. But not now…he's asleep. _

_Oh, guess what? I have a couple days off to do whatever I want before the ruin! I'm really excited! I want to explore the place as much as possible. I want to see what else that's fun around here. That virtual reality thing was sweet. It felt really real too. _

_What I really want to try is the food. I want to know what they eat…all I've been eating is food that Armos makes…I had no idea what it was, but I'd always be so hungry that I'd just eat it. The food was all good too. So I want to try some real culinary profession. My stomach is growling just thinking about it. I should probably stop writing. I'll start ranting about brownies again. …Crud, I am thinking of brownies. Until next time journal,_

_Kemero_

* * *

_Journal,_

_We've had a victory against the rebels. They are gone thanks to our army, and we're celebrating today. Kemero got extremely drunk with a bunch of soldiers, and were acting like I've never seen before. It was sick and embarrassing, yet fun to watch. Such as Kemero making up with a soldier for 'punching' him. They hugged, and I'm pretty sure they were close to tears, yelling 'sorry' at each other. _

_Anyways, we have a couple days off. I want Kemero to enjoy the city. He's barely seen anything yet. _

_But I wonder…am I really doing this for Kemero? Or am I just scared? I can't tell…it's a mixture of both. I wish I could stay away from that place forever, but that's not happening. I feel I _have _to go, even if I don't want to. I'm contrasting with myself…but…I know what's going to happen, so it doesn't make much of a difference whether I want to go or not. Night._

_Armos_

* * *

Mr.Who2123: Okay. Ending there.

Armos: Well, please review.


	24. The Fun Chapter

Mr.Who2123: This is THE FUN CHAPTER!!! WHOOOO!!!!!

Armos: Yay… (yawns)

Mr.Who2123: NOOO!! ARMOS, IT'S FUN!!!!!

Armos: Hey, you probably make my character so gay, that he doesn't know HOW to have fun.

Mr.Who2123: Oh, yeah, that's probably true…oh well.

Kemero: SHE OWNS NOTHING!!! WHOOO!!!!

Mr.Who2123: That's not a good thing!!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kemero slowly opened his eyes, expecting sunlight to burst into his sight like it did every morning. The cause was usually Armos opening the blinds right as he woke up, making him get up to close them once more.

However, he was met with the cool darkness of his room. The blinds were closed, and Armos was sleeping silently, his body rising and falling in the cadence of his breathing. The ranger crept out of bed and pulled down one of the blinds, and everything outside was black.

"Kemero what are you doing?" a sleepy voice asked behind him. Kemero turned around to see Armos up, his messy blonde hair even more unkempt than normal.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if it was day yet," he replied, and crawled back into bed. His sleepiness quickly caught up with him, but before he slept, he noticed Armos sit down on a desk, and write something. The soft sounds of a scratching pen lulled him to sleep.

When he woke up again, light burst into Kemero's sight.

"Do we always have to do this?" Kemero muttered frustrated, and stumbled out of bed towards the open blinds. His fingers grabbed the hanging string, and pulled it down slightly. He then let go of the string, and it shot up to the top of the window, and the blinds closed in response.

"Today we can do whatever we want for three days. Sounds great huh?" Armos said with some enthusiasm, ignoring Kemero's question. Kemero walked into the bathroom, already getting changed.

"So, what are we going to do?" he asked from the other room.

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"How am I supposed to know? I've never done anything here," he replied. Armos didn't answer, and after a moment, Kemero came back out, in his usual attire. Armos switched places with him, and was getting ready himself.

"What are places that people like to go?" Kemero asked, opening the blinds. Now that he was awake, there was no need to keep it closed.

"Well, lots of teenagers like to play that virtual reality game that you experienced," he answered. Kemero remembered how exhilarating the game was, and a smile came to his face. "Maybe I could show you a restaurant?"

"Let's do that. I want to see what you guys like to eat," he immediately answered. Ever since he came, Kemero had eaten either meal replacement pills, or food from Earth. Armos came out of the bathroom dressed as well, folding his arms and leaning against the doorway.

"Ready?" he asked, smiling slightly. With an eager 'yes' from Kemero, they headed out of their room, and to the city.

Outside, Kemero was glad to finally have a carefree, with no wars, troubles, or any of that stuff. Armos also seemed to be a bit more optimistic as he freely talked about his past when he learned to fight.

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_A seven year old Armos held the handle of a photon blade. The Sage, looking much younger as well, was standing next to him, watching him look at the handle. His white hair was darker and had a brown hue to it, showing he was a brunette in the past. He also looked much sturdier than his withered body, and didn't have his staff with him. _

"_Try slicing that wooden post right there," he said, pointing to one that could only be about ten feet away. Armos nodded, smiling, and charged for the post. It was his first time, and didn't even know he needed to push the teeny button on the side. Armos whacked the post with his handle, not even denting it. _

_The Sage had to stifle a chuckle when he saw this._

"_Push the button on the side!" he called, smiling with encouragement. Armos, who looked back, had just tried stabbing the post with the handle, and he held it there, hoping to somehow crush the post. Armos pushed the sleek, black button on the side, and the photon blade shot out of the handle, and went right through the post._

_Now, Armos was struggling with the task of pulling out the blade. He gripped the handle and pulled as hard as he could, straining his seven year old body._

_Again, the Sage had to disguise his laugh as a cough when he saw this. He watched Armos fall down when his grip on the handle slipped, and he was on the brink of bursting into laughter._

_With some more struggle, Armos managed to pull out the sword, and grinned, showing his sword to his mentor._

"_Armos, you could have just pushed the button again and you wouldn't of had to pull out the sword," he explained as Armos dashed back to him._

"_Oh," was the reply he got, and the two stopped practice for the day._

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Kemero chuckled at the thought of a teeny Armos getting his sword stuck in a wooden post. They were in some sort of cab that was running over a thin glowing light above the city. They were on their way to the best restaurant in Corgrassa. The cab driver was a gruff woman, silent, and terse in all she does. Even her motions are short. She quickly turned a knob and the car jerked right, causing Kemero to fall on his partner. Armos pushed back into an upright position, shaking his head in dislike.

Soon, the two made it to their destination, and Armos lifted his right arm in front of the driver. A strange bracelet type contraption on his wrist glowed, and a small pad in the woman's hand glowed in response. Kemero raised a brow as the cab drove off, and Armos led them to the restaurant.

"What's the bracelet thing for?" he asked, looking at the said object. It was silver and thick, with some strange symbols embedded around it.

"This is like…hm, let's say it's like a credit card. The ID on the bracelet sends a signal to the receiver of payment, and they automatically get more money in their account. It's convenient because you don't need to bring money and worry about going to a bank to get a deposit or withdrawal," he explained. Kemero nodded, liking the bracelet idea already.

The restaurant was called 'Fuenttepracheh', a word that Kemero thought was too long and stupid for its own good. He couldn't even enunciate it, and he had a Master's Degree in English Teaching. He _had_ been a teacher before becoming a member of the army, as strange as it sounds. Armos even admitted he didn't know why it was named that because it wasn't a real word.

"I wonder if it's an anagram for something," he wondered out loud as he went inside.

"Maybe," Armos answered. Inside, it was about as fancy as Kemero could imagine. Everything seemed so perfect. The place was quiet, and extremely orderly, and the guests were dressed in their best; flowing, glowing, and long dresses, and for the guys, long shirts with high collars, and long pants. The scenery was also different; the white carpet seemed to mold with every step you take, making it seem like you're walking on a cloud. The walls where made of a wood that was so light that it seemed as white as the carpet, and was soft as well. It must have been garnished at least ten times a day to feel that soft. Chandeliers hung from every hallway, being the only source of light, and the place was dimly lit, emitting a whole different feeling than being outside.

Kemero's mouth dropped as his eyes comprehended the interior of this restaurant.

"This place totally makes up for the stupid name," Kemero whispered to Armos, and the hunter smirked. After being seated, Kemero was surprised to find there were no waiters, but metal platform in the middle of the table.

A hologram appeared over the platform, and a nicely dressed man bowed his head.

"May I take your order?" it asked the two guests, and Kemero smiled. Corgrassa never seemed to end surprising the ranger with amazing technology.

"Water," Armos and Kemero said at the same time, and then looked at each other with humor in their eyes.

"Very well, here are the menus," the holographic waiter said, and disappeared. Just like he said, menus seemed to materialize out of the table, and Armos grabbed his to decide. Kemero poked the menu first, thinking it was a hologram as well, but it was real as he, and Kemero picked it up.

The ranger soon figured the food here was strangely similar to food on Earth, but they had different names and looks. So the ranger decided on the 'Guillero Dinner' which was like a Turkey Dinner. Armos didn't order any food; he told Kemero he wasn't hungry, though Kemero was sure it wasn't true.

The food was amazing. It was like a palette swap of food on Earth, the meat was black, the vegetables blue, and the…well, Kemero had no idea what the other side was, but it was good, was green. When the plate reached the hungry ranger, he began tore apart the food so fast that Armos was watching him in surprise and disgust the whole time. He took a bite of the main course, ate the vegetables, and ate the mystery thing all at once.

Finishing the plate took Kemero at most five minutes.

"Do you even know what you ate?"

"…Not really,"

"You ate the brain, the flesh, and the grated horn of a Gigobooma, all with a special herb on the side," Armos explained. Kemero's face turned to one of horror and felt like retching his food.

"Now I feel bad…," Kemero watched Armos swirl the water in his glass carelessly, one side dipped slightly so the liquid was close to bursting over the top of the lowered side.

"Don't. You didn't know," he replied, watching his glass, and then abruptly stood up. He bent over slightly to put his bracelet on the platform. Immediately, the menus disappeared and the bill was accounted for in a minute.

"C'mon," he said, and the two walked back out into the sunlight. It was great to feel the soft warmth come to your skin, a feeling a comfort like a mother wrapping her arms around her child. They watched the automobiles drive over the photon energy lines in silence, hesitating to talk for some reason.

"WHOA!!! It's KEMERO!!!!!" A high pitched voice screeched from about ten feet away. Both generals turned to see a ten year old boy coming straight for the ranger. He held a paper and pen in his hands, and Kemero grinned.

"Mr. Kemero sir, can you sign it??" he asked, his mouth turned upwards in a toothy grin. Kemero's heart just about melted.

"Sure," he replied, and scribbled his name in his best writing. "Name?" He asked, when he wrote '_To - …'_

"Jaron Scrivens!" he replied, his smile even wider. Kemero finished the autograph and the kid ran back to his mom, who was smiling bright as well.

"In Ragol, military leaders are like heroes to kids," Armos commented as they walked to a cab. "Anyways, where to next?" Kemero had been thinking of what to do next. The ranger looked up at the sky to see the position of the sun and determine the time. _About one o'clock._

"Do you guys watch movies?" Kemero asked as Armos opened the door of the waiting cab.

"Movies? Well, we do something like it," Armos replied thoughtfully as they got inside. And then he turned to the driver who was already going, "To the theater." Armos received a nod from the driver, and it suddenly lifted itself above the line they were on. Kemero grabbed the side of the cab, scared out of his wits, and received a chuckle from Armos.

The cab then lifted itself onto a different line, and then went on its way to the theater.

"Our cabs lift or fall to whichever road they need to go on," Armos explained, reclining in his seat. Kemero released his grip on the side and sighed. He swore he just had a heart attack when it suddenly lifted itself.

"I think it'll take me awhile to get used to this place," Kemero said, looking outside in awe at how high they were. They were almost as high as the tips of towers, and the people below looked like specs.

"Theater," the driver abruptly said, and the cab slowed to a stop. Armos and Kemero left the cab, and Armos showed the driver his bracelet before it drove off.

"So…what are we doing?" Kemero asked as they walked to a building that looked unusually just like a movie theater, except the building was made of metal just like all the other buildings in Corgrassa.

"You'll see," Armos replied, smiling with his eyes closed. Kemero became excited as they came upon the building, ready for something exciting. Upon entering, bunches of young kids turned to the door which the generals came into, and screamed as loud as they could.

"IT'S KEMERO AND ARMOS!!!!!!!" They shouted in unison as if they were waiting for the two. Instantly, there were papers and pens shoved in their faces, and they were forced into signing autographs for all the kids.

"Did you expect this to happen?" Kemero asked somewhat wearily, after signing quite a few papers.

"Not really," Armos replied, scribbling his name on the tenth paper in a row. The kids dispersed reluctantly after everything was signed, and entered another room that had some strange writing on a sign next to it.

"What does that say?" Kemero asked, pointing to the said sign.

"Just wait," Armos said, smiling again. Kemero knew something was definitely wrong with that. Then, Armos walked into the same room the kids did, and Kemero sighed, following.

"What _are_ we doing?" Kemero whined as they walked through a small hallway.

Inside, Kemero's mood changed from frustration to awe. The room inside looked like a giant movie theater room, with a giant screen, except there were hundreds capsules in front of the screen, all with strange helmets hanging on a stand outside of them.

"This is the theater room. You put those helmets on, and you are taken to the world of any movie you choose. You are the main character as you watch yourself overcome the trials the movie gives you," Armos explained. Kemero smiled widely and ran to a capsule. He shoved the huge helmet over his head, and quickly found out it blacks your vision. He heard Armos walk over and gently push him into the capsule. Then, Kemero's vision returned, but it was not what he was really seeing. The movie screen had turned into a giant menu screen, with different selections for the movies.

There was adventure, romance, action, fantasy, sci-fi, and many other alternative choices. Kemero eventually chose adventure. When he saw the movie selections, he was stunned.

'Hope' was one of the selections of movies. 'Your city is under attack, and as all hope is lost, the general of Corgrassa finds a way to restore peace and save possibly the world.'

Kemero didn't even care to look at the others. He chose the movie by saying it in a speaker, and the screen turned dark once again. Shortly after, the movie came on, and the general was Kemero, just like Armos said. Kemero shook with amazement and joy as the movie progressed, making him jump in moments of surprise, and nearly crying when a character died. It felt like two minutes later when the credits were rolling.

'Directed By – Directing Unit 8'

'Camera By – Camera Unit 5 and 6'

This progressed for a few minutes, and Kemero was further stunned that the people who created this movie weren't people, but robots installed to create exciting movies.

Then, a message popped up on the screen, saying take off the helmet, and Kemero complied. The ranger shook his head after taking off the helmet, hoping to get out of his hat head. After leaving the capsule, Kemero noticed Armos sitting down and watching a movie with his helmet on. By the time Kemero made his way to his partner, the general was done, and taking off his helmet. The hunter ran a hand through his messy hair, and placed the helmet on the stand.

"How was it?" Armos asked, walking out of the capsule.

"Amazing," Kemero replied, grinning. Armos had to smile at the excited grin on his partner's face, and started out of the theater after putting his bracelet to a strange machine by the exit. It processed the number, and then the light turned green, and the two were allowed through.

Outside, it was nearly dark, and the two agreed to get home to rest.

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_Dear Journal,_

_I had a great time with Armos…as strange as it sounds. It's funny how we used to be at each other's throats. Now we are getting pretty close, though we still are wary of each other a lot. I still feel hostility towards him, and I bet he does too. _

_Anyways, first, we went to a really good restaurant, and I got this really good food. But I later found out it was a Booma, and I got a little sick. Boomas are so cute, and I feel bad for eating one. Well, after that, we went to this big huge theater._

_It was so cool because I was the main character, and we could choose a ton of movies! And the weird thing is that they're all made by robots!!! They're programmed to create really good movies, and as far as I can tell, they're doing a good job._

_Well, after that, Armos and I decided to go home. Armos went to talk to the Sage for a little bit, and I ended up practicing a bit downstairs. _

_Well, that about sums up day one of my three days of relaxing. I can't wait for tomorrow. It will be better than today, for sure!_

_Kemero_

_P.S. – I have a ton of fans! A bunch of kids wanted my autograph today. I feel like a movie star. I like this planet._

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_Journal,_

_I had a great time with Kemero today. I hadn't had this much fun ever. We just went to a restaurant and after to the theater. It was fun seeing Kemero so surprised with all the technology this planet has. _

_After an unusually short day, I went to visit the old man. He wanted to know about the day we had together. He couldn't believe that I went to the theater. He knows I hate those places because I think they're a waste of time._

_Well, it's been the first of three days, and I can't believe it's already over. Lately, I've been thinking about that stupid wall in the ruin. The pictures are still as fresh as the day I saw them a couple decades ago. There was the huge Dimenian, the giant pillar, and it was on a floor of skulls and bones. I shudder to think of how each of those people died…_

_I should stop depressing myself. I should also get to bed…_

_Night,_

_Armos_

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Mr.Who2123: (Collapses on floor) Nine…pages…

Armos: (whistles in amazement) Wow.

Mr.Who2123: Yay! We learned something about the wall!!! Oh, and Fuenttepracheh is an anagram of 'The Fun Chapter' all put together. So Kemero was right.

Kemero: YA!!! I'm SMART!!

Armos: No you're not.

Kemero: (Cries)

Mr.Who2123: Anyways, please review!


	25. Evolution

Mr.Who2123: Hmm, the last chapter wasn't as fun as I imagined…

Armos: Nice, now you can't make anything FUN?

Mr.Who2123: Everyone hates me!

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 owns NOTHING!!!!

Mr.Who2123: …Why are you so random?

Kemero: Because you make me…

Armos: He has a point you know…

Mr.Who2123: …

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Kemero woke up, refreshed and excited for another day. Immediately, the ranger went for his gun, a habit he's had since he first obtained one. The Varista shone with an immaculate brightness of unrelenting polishing that happened every day.

"You know, we have better guns than that one. Why don't we get you a new one?" Armos asked, his arms folded like usual. He sounded bored, like he could care less that the gun was weaker. Kemero shot him a quick glance, and then put down the gun carefully.

"Nah, I like my Varista too much. Besides, it's not that bad," he replied, and turned towards his partner.

"What do you want to do today?" Armos asked, but his tone had completely changed. It was from tired uncaring, to interested, excited almost.

"You mind if we practice? I want to be in shape for when we go back," Kemero replied, and a quiet hush came over the two. In a moment, however, the silence was crushed as a tiny mag crashed into a wall, trying desperately to run away from the larger one. Kemero chuckled as Kama stared for several seconds at his friend and the dent in the wall.

"Alright, that's fine," Armos said, ignoring his Mag. "Let me get my weapons." The hunter fished his twin blades out of the drawer by his bed, and hung them at his sides. Kemero already had his Varista ready, and smiled in confidence as they walked out of their room.

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"You retreated from a bunch of FIREWORKS?" a voice screeched across a hall to the commanders of the rebels. The general was obviously not happy, as he read the report of the failure.

"Sir, it seemed like a real attack. The canons actually went off!" one commander, brave enough to speak, said.

"You backed away because the canons were shooting? Of course canons would be shooting! It's called 'defense!'" the general yelled back, throwing down the report upon the table.

"Well, sir, we did not expect any attack at all. We expected all of the military to be gone, raiding our empty bases. The fact that they went off dispirited the soldiers and sent confusion through everyone," another interjected. The general shot a glare at the daring one, and he immediately shrank back in his seat.

"Fine, if that's how it is…we'll need to retaliate, and with all our power," he looked among his fourteen commanders. There are fifteen; he counted as one, but he also led them all. "It's all or nothing!"

Cheers rang through the meeting hall, and the rebels began to plan…

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"Personalized training – Armos Wreathen. Level S," the machine said in its robotic and monotonous voice. Kemero still gulped at those words. He clutched his Varista tightly as the room darkened like normal. Armos, sensing the tension, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. However, the hand quickly withdrew as he pulled out his blades. Kemero could see his face through the blue light that glowed from the blades.

An inhuman roar came from behind. Kemero whirled, and shot the spec of light that was the enemy. The photon light that coursed through the Dimenian dimmed, and the creature fell on the floor.

"Hey, Kemero! This time I'm not going to help you if you get in a bind! I think you can manage on your own!" Armos called from across the large training room.

"Aw, thanks. Now I feel really secure!" Kemero shouted back, grinning at the sarcasm. However, he felt his insides were in a knot. _What if they overpower me like last time? Will I die? _As if knowing he was stressed, Asparus beeped cheerily, making Kemero smile. _Forgot I had you. Thanks, Asparus._

Kemero shot monster after monster, rolling, jumping, and ducking his way through. There were definitely more Dimenians, Kemero noted, but he knew it was needed for him to get stronger. Ducking under a horizontal slice from an especially large Dimenian, Kemero put his gun to the gut, and shot, purple blood flying out of the body.

Kemero was forced to ignore the guts on his face as he shot at the Dimenians all around him. Suddenly, there was an impact against the invisible shield around him, and Kemero whirled on the attacker. After shooting twice, the ranger rolled out of the giant mob of Dimenians, making himself able to get a clear shot at all of them.

"Uh, Kemero! There's a new D-type data that was analyzed!" Armos called from across the room.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Kemero yelled back, his lungs getting sore.

"It means…we've discovered a new monster in the ruin," he replied back, his voice closer. Soon, the blue blades were seen, chopping a group of Dimenians into pieces. "And they're going to put its data into the simulator."

Kemero gulped. _A new enemy? It's hard enough with Dimenians…_

Shooting at some more Dimenians, he nodded, trying to make himself seem confident.

"Where is it?" he asked, jumping away from a giant, glowing claw.

"Uh…right behind you now,"

_CRAP!_

Kemero turned on the beast. The sight made him nearly laugh. It looked like a giant pair of scissors, except it was more alive looking, with thin, pink photon glowing through its white skin. It had no eyes, but the giant, sharp mouth was assumed to be the front. The beast itself was no larger than Armos' blade, and Kemero shot the thing down with one bullet.

"That's it?" he asked, smiling. Armos just shrugged, and disappeared once again. However, that wasn't just it. The usual sound of a roaring Dimenian made Kemero turn around to finish the training. The number of Dimenians had definitely lessened, and the test was almost over.

A giant, octopus shaped monster floated slowly towards the back of Kemero, silent as it floated. It was made of the ten small Claw-like creatures, and the photon that flowed through it was red, however, and not pink.

Kemero shot down a Dimenian before it even came close to him. _So far, so good_, he thought, smiling. Then he looked at Asparus. _Thanks to you._ Suddenly, long, grotesque arms draped around Kemero, blocking him of the already stunted vision he had.

"What the…" he muttered, trying to move his arm. However, he was locked together with inhuman strength.

Suddenly, Kemero's energy was fading, and he knew it when his energy shield shattered, and the monster began taking it away from the ranger. Screaming in agony, Kemero writhed, trying harder and harder to get out. His power failing, Kemero dropped his gun, knowing defeat was at his doorstep. His eyes drooped, and his body became limp, as the creature sucked as much energy that Kemero had to offer.

Suddenly, it was bright, brighter than Kemero could imagine, as a small spec floating beside began to change into something different. Eyes widening, Kemero's mouth dropped open, and excitement came over his weak body.

_Asparus…is evolving!_

The small, green spec was now a huge mag, larger than even one of the mags of Kama. It started a thing rectangular strip on the top, then widened until it was about the width of Kemero. The whole mag was green, and it had black vertical lines down it.

As the evolution ended, a photon blast began. Suddenly, a giant shark was formed. It had no face, but it was blue, with black and white photon all over it. Everything around it was the color of a rainbow, the true color of photon as Armos once said. The shark did a backflip, and then charged into the giant octopus like monster. Kemero closed his eyes tightly as it came straight for him…and then he passed out.

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Mr.Who2123: Mwahaha! Cliffhanger!! MWAHAHA!!! (Cough)

Armos: (Raises eyebrow) Weirdo…

Kemero: My mag is bigger than YOURS! HA!

Armos: (Sweatdrop) Actually, I have two mags, and the two combined is bigger than Asparus…so…no, it's not bigger.

Kemero: …Please review!

Mr.Who2123: Random…like always.


	26. Retaliation

Mr.Who2123: Yay! I'm finally at the part that leads to the part that leads to the end of the story!

Armos: …That makes no sense whatsoever…

Kemero: She owns…

Armos and Kemero: …Nothing.

Mr.Who2123: … 'Tis true….anyways, I'm pretty excited…though not excited as I should be…maybe I should start playing that game again…

Armos: she won't stop…let's just start.

Mr.Who2123: …However I'm in between hard and very hard mode…maybe if I power leveled my character…

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Kemero woke, his head swimming, and his body aching. It wasn't pain, exactly, but just weakness all over, and his mind was clouded.

"What…where…am I?" he asked, his eyes opening slowly. Immediately, he recognized his room, with its two beds and the door to the bathroom opposite of them. Then, suddenly, his memory came back. "Asparus!"

A low sounding beep came from the side, and Kemero weakly turned his head. Asparus, huge, floated right above his right shoulder, looking straight in the eye with its single, yellow eye in the middle of the rectangular top.

"I'm surprised you got Asparus to evolve. You must have been real loving to him," a familiar voice sounded from behind. Kemero didn't need to turn his head to know who the owner of that voice was.

"Is the mag doctor going nuts, Armos?" Kemero asked, a smile coming to his face.

"Dr. Knieosis is even more excited to dissect one of our mags. He even made a special visit to our room to see Asparus. Of course I told him that I'd kill him if he gets close to Asparus," Armos replied, acting as if it were no big deal. Suddenly, Armos got up and walked right in front of Kemero, his dark eyes looking straight into Kemero's hazel ones.

"What happened when you were attacked by the Bulclaw?" he asked, his eyes scrutinizing Kemero's face. It turned into one of very slight fear as Kemero remembered the energy draining from him.

"It was strange…it didn't hurt, I just…lost my energy," Kemero replied. He knew never to underestimate a monster again.

"It's more than that, Kemero. When the monster has succeeded in draining the energy, it changed form. The tentacles open up, and a mouth was revealed on the belly, usually hidden beneath those tentacles. It has the power to kill anyone and anything with one bite," he explained. Kemero froze. So he could have…died?

"How does that happen?" Kemero asked, his eyes wide. Armos looked at Kemero, his eyes pained.

"We've made a new discovery at the science lab," he said. "Apparently…all monsters from that ruin…were once people or animals transformed by an infectious cell. It has been called the D-Type Cell. It is purple, and moves, as if it has a life of its own. We don't know how this cell even came to be, but the monsters all carry it. If it gets into a human, they become a monster…or they die of the D-type cell overwhelms the heart."

It was silent. Deadly silence swallowed up the once light aura around the two. Kemero looked down, his hands trembling. _We're dealing with something like that? I'm not sure I want to go into the ruin anymore…_ Armos suddenly started again.

"However, you can only catch the D-type cell from a Bulclaw or the photon deep inside the body of a Dimenian that flows through it like a bloodstream. It is hard to catch it any other way," Armos continued. His arms were folded, and his back was against the wall, supporting his frame. _One last thing was left unsaid that was revealed in the lab, however…_

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"Armos, I'm going to take a sample of blood, just to see what is in your bloodstream," a young doctor said. Armos sat on a huge chair, waiting for the results of the Bulclaw data.

Armos shrugged, lifting his arm, ready to have blood drawn. Quickly, the doctor pricked the skin, and a deep red dot welled in its spot. With practiced expertise, the doctor wiped the blood onto a thin, translucent strip. He placed it under a microscope to be analyzed, and the doctor put his left eye into the scope.

After a few moments, the doctor was writing down compounds seen in the blood, sometimes muttering under his breath.

And then he stopped, and the doctor jumped away from the microscope, now out of his chair.

"What in…" he yelled, and Armos looked in his direction, confused.

"What is it, doctor?" he asked, a small fear rising. The doctor glanced at Armos, sweat coming from his face now. Armos noticed his hands were shaking, and the doctor saw the notification, quickly putting his hands in his coat pockets.

"Well, take a look for yourself," he replied, looking at the picture in his office. He now seemed scared to even make eye contact as Armos promptly looked the eyepiece. In the red substance, Armos saw the blood cells, still like normal, but there was something else that caught his eye. Small purple dots emerged from the sides of the strip, and moved back and forth, scurrying to find its host. Then, the purple dots stopped, seeming dead. Suddenly, though, they _jumped _onto the lens of the microscope, and Armos' vision was blocked.

"…What is that?" he asked, looking up to the doctor, whom was fiddling with his notes. Suddenly, he stopped, and separated one sheet from the rest, holding it with both hands.

"…It's the D-Type cell…," he replied. "Technically, you are of the same species as a Dimenian."

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Armos shivered at the discovery. Of course, the Sage has known it by now, and would be coming down to break it to Kemero.

"..Armos, you okay? You've been sitting there for a couple minutes now. …You're pale," Kemero said, a worried look plastered on his face. Armos snapped from the shock, and looked up, shaking his head.

"…Yeah, blanked for a moment," he replied. Kemero knew that wasn't the case, and became even more worried.

"C'mon, I won't fall for that. Tell me what's wrong," Kemero furthered. Armos suddenly stood up, livid.

"It's not your business," he said calmly, yet with such an indignant tone that Kemero backed away. He suddenly stalked off, bringing his swords with him, and slamming the door.

The sound rang in Kemero's ears, but he didn't care. There was something wrong with Armos, and that fact nagged on his mind terribly.

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Armos walked stiffly, not looking at anyone, nor moving with any destination in mind. His mind was slowly working over all that has happened. He didn't want to believe it, he _couldn't_ believe it. However, the cruel facts and his own knowledge made him know it was true, deep inside of him.

"Armos! Come here!" an old, familiar voice yelled from behind. Armos didn't need to turn around to know who it was. He merely stopped and waited for the Sage to catch up. "I heard the news from the doctor about how you…," the old man trailed off, knowing he made his point.

"…Do they want to conduct tests?" he asked, finally looking to his old mentor.

"They want to test your body's reaction to the cell compared to a regular Regallion or human," he replied. "But I told him after you explore the ruin, it is tomorrow after all."

Armos nodded, seeming assured, and continued. Suddenly, the whole building shook, lights blinking on and off. The sage was thrown against the wall, while Armos knelt down for support. A small table nearby fell over, spilling the plant on it to the floor.

"What's going on?" the Sage asked, pushing himself upright. Armos shook his head and started for the outside to see what was going on.

He ran, trying to ignore the shaking of the building, and the completely destroyed hallways. The Sage as right behind him, and the two found the exit of the building, dashing out.

Once the bright light hit their eyes, it took the two a moment to properly see the chaos all around them.

The buildings around them were all either destroyed or burning, and people were screaming everywhere. Armos looked towards the government building, where the top was toppled off. Worry came to him. _Kemero!_

Suddenly, a string hand gripped Armos' arm, making him turn to his old mentor.

"Armos, across from the government building is the telepipe station. Through the government channel, go to the ruin," the Sage demanded, pointing to the very building. Somehow, it was still intact, but Armos hesitated.

"But Kemero…," Armos began, but the Sage cut him off, shaking his old head.

"There's nothing we can do about him, but you _have_ to go to that ruin. We can take care of the rebels," he replied. Armos noticed the sorrow in his old mentor's eyes, and understood. He wanted to find the ranger just as much as the hunter.

"…Alright. Get the soldiers into emergency defense formation. They'll know what to do then," Armos quickly said. The Sage nodded, tears welling in his grey eyes. Armos nodded once more, stepping back.

"There are two bags by the control panel. Take them. They have supplies sufficient for up to a year," the Sage quickly instructed. He turned away, the tears streaming down his withered cheeks.

Armos left without a word, dashing into the building. It was completely empty, with telepipes laid everywhere, with little stands of control panels next to each. Armos located two small bags, identical to each other, and Armos picked them up, and ran to a nearby panel.

Typing in the government code, the telepipe turned on, and Armos dashed in, his anxiety rising as the photon lights came up all around him. _Kemero…_

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The Sage ran into the military office, surprised at the calm manner in which the whole army was poised. They were fully armed, ready to hear the word.

"Emergency defense formation against the rebels!" he yelled. A commander, dressed in a darker green than the rest, took a step in front, and led the army. They marched out, photon swords glowing, raised above their heads. The Sage smiled, watching the work that his generals had accomplished on the army.

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_Armos led Kemero into a new, strange building. It was plain, black walls, and no windows, with only one set of doors, which were camouflaged into the black of the walls. Inside, it was almost ten times larger than the outside. They were at the top, with a thin strip of floor that led left, and then down the stairs to the floor. Rails guarded those floors, reaching up to Kemero's chest. _

"_What is this place?" he asked, walking to the rail. He placed his gloved hands upon the top rails, feeling the cool metal under his thin gloves. _

_Thousands of guards were stationed, facing towards him, their faces passive, and their bodies motionless. The ranger was bewildered, his eyes widened. Armos smirked from behind, and walked next to him._

"_This is our army, Kemero," he simply said. Kemero was lost for words, he just looked at Armos, a smile wide on his face._

"_This army…it's ten times larger than my own private army," he replied. Armos merely nodded._

"_You have the power to command these people at any time and any place. They are mine as much as yours," Armos furthered. Kemero took a step back, his hands falling back to his sides._

"_Wow…"_

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Armos was finally seeing more than the bright blue light around him. It was black, misty, and the walls were thick, course lines that seemed organic.

Fearful memories flew into Armos' mind, and the hunter backed into a thick, black wall. His eyes were wide, and cold sweat dripped from his face.

He was at the ruin, and he was alone.

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Mr.Who2123: OOOOOOHHH!!! Get ready for some scary memories, Armos! (Evil cackle)

Armos: You're so mean! You torture me!

Kemero: You think you have problems…I think I'm DEAD!!!!!!

Mr.Who2123: (Continues Evil Cackle) Please review…you guys have to wait for the next chapter… (Cackles even more)


	27. Situation in the City

Mr.Who2123: Hehehe…power leveled my character to level 63. YAY!!!! Oh, and I also have a Flowen's Sword, equivalent to a Last Survivor (Armos' giant metal blade in my story.)

Armos: While she rambles…she owns nothing.

Mr.Who2123: I also got a Blade Dance and a Brionac! (Goes off, rambling)

Kemero: Let's BEGIN!!

Armos: (sigh) Everyone around me is so stupid…

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Loud booms were heard everywhere around the city. They harmonized with the screaming of civilians, running for their lives. Buildings were aflame, crumbling and adding more damage than possibly the bombs themselves.

Among the crashes, rebel soldiers came in, running inside with big numbers, yelling. They didn't kill the civilians, unless they posed any defiance. Their metal weapons high in the air, they charged for the government building, where the Sage was. He was outside of it, healing a wounded man, when they started charging towards him like madmen. When the blue light of his staff disappeared, the man was healed, and he ran off, yelling thanks. The old Sage stood up, eyeing the soldiers, who were not far off now.

_Looks like I'll have to pull out some of my old magic, _he thought, sighing wearily. He twirled his oaken staff above him, and red light emitted from the similarly colored jewel.

Suddenly, ten soldiers were covered in a blast of fire, screaming to their deaths. Nearby enemies stopped, watching them die, and wondering whether they should put their lives on the line as well.

About twenty soldiers were coming west of the Sage, and he pointed his weapon at them. Light shone from the jewel, this time yellow.

Lines of thick lightning burst from the sky, surrounding them with lines of lightning. They stopped in their tracks, fear evident on their faces. The lightning hit around them again, except closer. One tried to run out of the invisible circle, but a single thread of yellow power hit him, killing him instantly.

The soldiers resorted to screaming as it came closer; the group huddled together now.

"Sorry, youngsters, but I cannot forgive you for ruining my city!" he yelled, watching as the lightning finally struck them all simultaneously, the bodies falling on top of each other. There wasn't a single scream that came from them when they were hit.

A hand gently grabbed the old man's, and he whirled on him, a spell ready to kill the foe. He suddenly stopped when he saw who it was. Kemero was panting, his head gashed, and he had his guns with him.

"Sage…," he said softly, falling down. He had obviously lost too much blood, as red marks were all over him. He was shaking, terrified from the sudden attack. The Sage eagerly knelt beside him, resorting to healing him quickly. He started with the head, where he placed the jewel of his staff on it. Soft blue light came from it, and seemed to envelop around Kemero, who was now glowing. The wounds healed themselves in minutes, and Kemero was completely healed. The ranger smiled, feeling his closed gash on his head. Suddenly, the face turned from happy to grim, as he looked around.

"Where's Armos?" he asked, looking at the Sage's withered old face. He pointed to the telepipe station, still in perfect shape. "Go into the one that is already on. That is the one Armos went through," he said. Kemero gave him a doubtful look as he slowly backed towards the building. "Don't worry, our army is going to take care of this!" he added. Kemero nodded, and turned, running through the door.

The very closest telepipe was on, red lines running up through it. He quickly stepped in, waiting for it to take him wherever Armos was.

Meanwhile, the Sage continued his fatal attacks all around him. His fatigue caught up with him as he fell to one knee. His vision was blurring as he looked up.

_Too much photon consumption…_ he muttered in his mind. With all his might, he stood up, leaning against a still intact wall.

"Sage, sir, the army is at your disposal! I am the new temporary general of the army, Raiden," a serious voice said. The old man looked to see a dark haired man approach him. His eyes were icy blue, with concern in them as he watched the Sage struggle to stand on his own. His hunter uniform, fashioned in the likeness of Armos', was light blue as well, matching his eyes.

The general caught the Sage as he fell back.

"General, do what you think is best. I trust you as I would trust Armos," he muttered, and fell unconscious. Raiden, surprised, gently picked up the old man, bringing him into the military office. Slowly, he placed him on a bed, and turned back to the fight ahead.

Outside, the army was fighting against the rebels, photon clashing with metal as they fought in the flaming city. Glowing bullets and metal bullets flew back and forth at each other, easily killing rebels while the city's army merely had light wounds from such low technology. Forces, or magic users, were only on the city's side, as they used photon directly, the thing which rebels are fighting against. They used their foie, zonde, and barta magic, fire blasting, lightning striking, or ice freezing enemy rebels all over the place. Also, medical Forces dashed to wounded soldiers, healing wounds.

Raiden looked at the fight, analyzing the situation with his light eyes.

_It's almost as if the rebels are making one last desperate attempt, or they wouldn't have done this… It would've been too obvious that they'd lose this. Unless…they have some trump card that they're going to use to win this…I better be careful._

"Rangers, switch to high density launchers! Force, use foie, as it adds to the fire around them!" he yelled. Like robots, the soldiers immediately pulled out their photon launchers, going on one knee to get better aim at the enemy. The blasts on the rebel side became larger as fire mixed with photon rockets, making huge explosions.

The rebels were backing away, the pure power of the city too strong for the old weapons that they used. Some nutty soldiers even ran straight to the Forces, trying to kill as many as they could, eventually getting killed before they get halfway through their enemy ranks.

Finally, the relieving sound of retreat came from the rebels, and they did so, fleeing for their lives. Cheers came from the side of the city, men thrusting their fists in the air, or laughing.

"MEN! Why are you laughing? Are you glad you swept away a few petty rebels?" Raiden yelled. It became dead silent, only the fire around them making noise. "Look around you! Our city is destroyed, and many lives were lost! This is a time to mourn for those souls!"

It remained quiet, as Raiden thought of plans to distinguish the fires. They were still going strong, and had no sign of burning out. The sky had become a veil of gray smoke, and the sun was only a dull red beneath the smoke.

"Forces use Rabarta on as many fires as possible!" he yelled. The soldiers acted very precisely in response. They scattered quickly, already charging for the spell. Soon, red fires turned to ice, and shattered under such conflicting temperatures. The smoke was dissipating slowly as hours droned on, and every fire was frozen. Civilians had helped too, who knew the spell as well, and those who didn't helped find wounded others to bring to the military office, which had become a temporary medical center.

Raiden smiled as the work progressed, amazed at the strict obedience of the soldiers.

_Indeed this is because of general Armos. I've held that man in such high regard since I was a child…but, everyone did. Everyone still does now. He's probably more popular than the Sage himself._

Raiden turned around, starting towards the military office, when something outside the city caught his eye. He stopped, cold fear running down his spine.

_The rebels' trump card is coming into play…_ he thought frantically, running for the Sage. He'd hopefully know what to do.

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Armos was shaking, stepping forward very slowly. He was walking down a hallway, eyes darting all around him.

_So…familiar…I can barely take it!_ he thought as memories flashed into his mind, especially the one of the wall. Some others were coming back as well, just images however.

A hand lightly touched the shoulder of Armos.

"YOU'RE NOT TAKING ME!" he screamed, whirling around, and had his sabers out in a second. However, they were at the neck of Kemero, who was the one shaking now.

"It's me!" he said, stepping back. Armos nodded, sheathing his weapon.

"Sorry…I just thought you…never mind," he stuttered. Stuttered? Armos never stuttered! He was always so calm and composed!

'_You're not taking me'? Maybe…something wants him down here?_ Kemero wondered as they started down the hall together.

"Armos…" he said. Armos stopped, looking back at the ranger. It seemed he composed himself as his shaking had stopped. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm here with you. You don't have to be scared alone anymore."

Armos smiled and nodded. Yet even if Kemero was always with him, he could never tell him what would inevitably happen…

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Mr.Who2123: Wow…I feel that I've given too much information about what will happen to Armos…

Armos: What's going to happen to me?

Mr.Who2123: Well, eventually, you're…

Kemero: Going to turn into a WEASAL!!

Armos and Mr.Who2123: …

Kemero: PLEASE REVIEW!

Armos and Kemero: (Still '…')


	28. Start of a Forbidden Excavation

Mr.Who2123: Okay, I'm going straight to story. I'm really into it right now. D

Armos: She owns nothing.

Kemero: Begin!

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_Armos was walking quickly down a hallway. The dark walls and deadly silence could only be of the ruin. He was young, about twenty, and was perfectly calm._

I don't remember this as part of my investigation_ he thought. This was either a dream or memory, but he couldn't tell._

_Then, he abruptly turned, as they hallway led sharply right to a door. It opened automatically, and the young Armos walked through._

_There was a crystal, shaped as a pentagon, and the pointy tip faced upwards, to the ceiling. It was slightly taller than him, and large, strange symbols were on it. The symbols were not the common language of Ragol, yet Armos could read them. He was surprised as well; he never knew he could read this language._

"_Cry, for IDOLA the holy is coming. Revolution to the origin shall take place, and all shall become one with IT," he read out loud. Armos read it again, trying to understand what IDOLA was. It was familiar…_

"Armos, snap out of it!" he suddenly heard. Armos was leaning against a wall, and a hand was shaking his shoulder. "…You're awake now. What happened?" The hunter slowly stood upright, his head spinning.

"I…I don't know," he lied. In reality, he just remembered a forgotten memory, but he wasn't going to let Kemero get worried. "I'm fine, let's get going." Kemero reluctantly started fort he door in front of him. They were about to go through when Armos fell against a wall, unconscious.

When the two went through, Armos froze. It was the same…exact…room. Everything was the same as the memory. The blazing white crystal was there, at the end of the huge room, with the strange symbols. Armos stopped cold, fear enveloping him.

"It's the same room," he muttered. Kemero heard, confused.

"What is?"

"I…remember this room…I was in…here…," he continued. However, Armos was not allowed the chance to study the crystal, as black energy suddenly appeared in front of the crystal. They went in tiny circles, about five of them, and five Dimenians appeared in the black energy. They roared, thrusting their grotesque arms in the air, then came for the two.

Armos quickly pulled out his blades, blue photon shooting out of the handles.

"I take three, you take two," Armos yelled quickly. Kemero took it as an order, for he caught two's attention, and ran back, pulling out his giant rocket launcher. He pulled the strap around him, with the end of the gun towards the Dimenians. With expertise, he pushed a button, waited a short time for a charge, and shot. It knocked over only one Dimenian, but the other moved out of the way, now coming for Kemero.

The ranger threw the strap around his back so the gun was behind him, and then grabbed his Varista.

Quickly, he shot the monster down, killing it easily. Asparus started beeping madly, and Kemero turned around to the large mag.

"What is it?" he asked, but then noticed. The Dimenian hit by the large gun was coming towards him, with one arm blown off from the blast. Purple blood leaked, leaving a line of the substance from the puddle on which it picked itself up. Kemero aimed at the grotesque face, and shot it down.

Armos ducked from a horizontal slice, and kicked under the small legs of the monster. It fell, and Armos stabbed one blade into it. The hunter was forced to focus his attention on the Dimenian behind, and whirled around with only one blade. He pushed the blade into its back, and pulled it out.

Just in time, Armos then blocked the strong thrust of the last Dimenian. He lithely sliced the Dimenian as soon as it retreated its claw, and it fell, dead. He then turned to Kemero, who was smiling at him. Armos began walking to him, and without stopping, pulled out his bloody blade. He quickly turned the blades off, and put them at his sides once more.

"They were really easy," Kemero commented. Armos nodded, his attention on the crystal. He looked to it, confusion, anger, and fear all in his head at once.

_It reads the same exact thing…_ he thought, analyzing the symbols.

However, he quickly cut his thoughts short to not worry Kemero. Armos began feeling that was becoming his objective: don't let Kemero worry.

"Let's go," he said, looking to Kemero, who nodded, and the two continued. Armos took one last look at the crystal before the automatic door shut behind him.

The next room was large, as big as the room that can hold twenty thousand men. At the far left corner, there was the next doorway leading to deeper in the ruin, while on the right, there was a huge waterfall. It flowed down right next to the edge of the ground, where there was a huge, gaping hole.

"How is there a waterfall in a deep underground ruin?" Kemero asked, watching it.

"There are many mysteries of this ruin, and that is just one of them," Armos answered. The ranger began to walk for the waterfall, but a roar behind him stopped him. More Dimenians had appeared, walking slowly for their prey.

"This is starting to get annoying," Armos muttered. He pulled out his Last Survivor, and ran for a large group. He sliced, cutting two in half, and dodged a swipe of claws.

"Barta!" he yelled. A line of ice shot towards the group, and froze them. Armos held no mercy as he muttered a fire spell, and all were destroyed in the confliction of elements.

Kemero clapped from across the hall.

"I wish I could blow people up," he said. Armos smirked at the comment. Armos started for Kemero, whom was now at the waterfall, putting his hand under the rushing water. Kemero turned around, a smile on his face.

"It's…WATCH OUT!" he shouted, pulling out his gun. A Bulclaw was only a meter away from attaching itself to Armos, whom whirled around, pulling out his giant blade. Luckily, he managed to roll out of the way of the tentacles, and sliced three of them off from behind. The monster began to lean on one side, and it came shakily for Armos.

Before it got close, it fell and died from a couple gun shots. Armos sheathed his giant metal blade, and continued to head for Kemero.

"What did you say it was?" he asked, approaching his partner.

"It's clean water. This is probably cleaner than the water in Corgrassa," he said, cupping his hands. Water quickly filled in it, and the ranger put it to his lips and drank it. Water ran down his chin, but he wiped it off with his hand.

"How do you know it's so clean?" Armos asked, skeptical. He put his hand under the rushing fluid, his glove immediately drenched.

"Well, I learned this while on our home planet. We had almost no clean water, and everyone specially taught to know what clean water looks like. One, no bugs. Two, it can't be anywhere near the ocean. Three, waterfalls are the cleanest of water. Four, the water should be clear," he said. Armos looked at the waterfall again. He noticed how clear it was, even while it was rushing.

Armos took a drink from the waterfall, and drank it as well. The cool liquid ran down his throat, and Armos let down his hands from his mouth.

"Indeed, it is clean," he said, free of his skeptical behavior. Kemero smiled, and stood up, retreating from the huge waterfall. Armos did the same, and the two headed for the next room.

As the door opened up, it only showed a long hallway, with the door about ten meters away. The two generals, filled with determination, walked quickly though the hallway, ready to face the challenge within.

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The Sage groggily sat up, feeling weak. His mind slowly traced over the past few events, scanning over what had happened.

_I was fighting…and Kemero showed up, and then I felt weak…and then that Raiden guy showed up…what happened after that?_ He wondered. With one long look, the Sage knew he was in the military office, and he promptly got out of bed. He was still in his old clothes, with some holes and burn marks in them. Quickly, he grabbed his oaken staff beside the bed, and rushed outside.

As he opened the door, he collided with the temporary general, knocking over the Sage, while the larger built man merely stepped back.

"Oh, master Sage, I'm sorry," he said, noticing the person he knocked down. He seemed rushed as he pulled up the old man, and beckoned him to come outside.

The Sage stepped out of the door, and looked right, as Raiden directed him. His old eyes widened at the sight far away.

_The war…with the Dimenians is coming!!_

For way out in the grass field, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, Dimenians were slowly making their way.

…_If only our generals were here. Armos would know what to do._

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Mr.Who2123: A while ago, I said there would be a war with the Dimenians, and then I kind of left the idea. But it's coming back.

Armos: Hm, I wonder what that crystal thing means…

Kemero: It means a g-(cut off by Mr.Who2123)

Mr.Who2123: Don't spoil it!

Armos: …Please review.


	29. Foretold War

Mr.Who2123: Ahhh!!! PSO!!!

Armos: It's official…she's nuts.

Kemero: Let's see if she really is nuts… (Holds up a mirror to Mr.Who2123's face.) What do you see?

Mr.Who2123: …I see…PSO PSO PSO PSO PSO PSO PSO!

Armos: Uh…she owns nothing…

Kemero: Begin!

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Raiden watched the monster army (both meaning large and with grotesque creatures) with a constantly growing horror.

"What do we do?" he frantically asked the Sage, whose eyes were plastered onto the dark sight ahead.

"…Focus all attention on them. Give the Dimenians everything you have," he replied. Weakly turning away, the old man looked back one more time before increasing his pace.

Not daring to question the destination of the leader, Raiden turned his focus to obtaining the attention of his soldiers.

"Men, assemble!" he yelled loudly. The armored men of Corgrassa immediately looked up to see their general, and scurried to form lines in front of him. Men too far away to hear saw their fellows in a frantic movement, and followed them, also joining the fray.

In only a couple minutes, every single soldier was lined up, their arms straight, chins high, and bodies still. Raiden walked back and forth in front of them, his mind analyzing the situation with trained perception. The soldiers eagerly awaited his orders, tensing every time the general would look up from his pacing to see the soldiers. Then, they'd all breathe a sigh of relief when he returned to his frantic thinking. This continued for a couple minutes, and when the soldiers finally felt relaxed from the unresponsive general, they turned to look at each other, confused.

"Men! Attention PLEASE!" the general yelled, and all relaxation was abated in an instant. The soldiers' head moved to the front, their eyes seeing nothing but their leader. "We have a situation on our hands. The army of Dimenians is coming…and will attack in about an hour's time!"

The army let in a sharp gasp, and that very breath seemed to freeze inside of them. They held their breath, almost too shocked to believe the very truth. Raiden, unsurprised from their reactions, immediately began to continue explaining his quick plans.

"Rangers and Forces, go to the eastern wall and send all attacks towards that army. Forces, uses all long range magic, while Rangers use high photon launchers. Have some Rangers use the canons. Go!" he commanded. Two thirds of the huge army began marching quickly to a passageway hidden in the wall that surrounded the perimeter of the city. The metal and stone wall opened up to form a thin doorway when a certain block was removed, and the large army scurried inside, not daring to deviate from the orders given to them.

Raiden turned to the last of his army: the front ranks, the hunters. According to their rank, each soldier had a different suit on, the lowest a deep green, then red, then yellow, orange, purple, blue, black, white, and then finally a turquoise color which Armos wore. Kemero wore a combination of white and black, coincidentally, and Raiden, being third, had the blue. The rest of the ranks were dispersed among the soldiers.

Raiden looked at the hunters, all of them with a tense figure, and with fear on their faces. Many of them, he saw, were barely old enough to be in the army. The general could remember when he was one of those young lads, wearing the green armor of a soldier proudly, even if it was the lowest rank.

"Men, we are about to fight one of the biggest battles in our lives. I am not going to try and cushion you with sweet words. Many of you will die here, today. You, men, are at the front of the battle, in much more danger, in much more risk than the rangers and Forces. So I just want to tell you this. I will let any of you leave right now, if they don't feel up to this battle. However," he stated. The general turned around, his hands behind his back, clasping each other. His next sentence was much more quietly than the rest of his speech, and the army listened closely for the words. "However, in doing this, you will never be rid of the shame of running away from your fears. This decision can ruin your life, and you will never live it down." The general then turned to his men, waiting for someone to leave. Several minutes passed, and Raiden watched patiently, as this decision was a life-changing one.

No one left, the words of the general had moved them, and no one dared to leave. Raiden, understanding the universal decision, began making plans for the attack, and the soldiers listened, with an all new enthusiasm.

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Armos and Kemero walked together, and surprisingly, Armos wasn't scared. His mind was set on that strange inscription he had read, with "IDOLA", whatever that was. Kemero knocked him out of his thoughts, pointing to a door ahead.

"C'mon," he said, and Armos nodded.

The door opened automatically, as did every other one, and the two walked into a small, square room. The pathway headed right, and the two generals headed in that direction. There was nothing in the room, merely walls, floor, and the doors.

Black energy lines surged in the far left corner of the room. Armos and Kemero have quite grown to expect it, as it was in almost every room. However, they did not expect to see a new monster appear in that energy.

It had energy running through it just like Dimenians, and was even shaped like one, but its body was more human shaped. There was a pink photon blade in the right arm while on the left arm, four long, grotesque claws were on the end. Giant yellow spikes protruded from its head, and the monster moved deadly fast. In an instant, it was on Armos, who had taken out his twin blades.

With its large blade, it made slashes at Armos, who blocked them with little difficulty. The hunter began his retaliation when the empty hand turned into a giant, glowing, translucent shield, which deflected the blow. Armos took a step back, his eyes widened in surprise.

_This is no ordinary monster,_ he thought. Suddenly, the shield disappeared, and in the abrupt move, Armos was sliced in the side by the long claws. With a brief yell, Armos fell on one knee, but rolled out of the way of the next sword slice.

In the next instant, photon clashed with photon as the monster and the general exchanged swift, yet deadly powerful blows. Armos noticed, as he made a thrust, but it was blocked, that every attack he had made towards the monster was easily blocked.

_I need to surprise him, but this thing is so good at fighting…he can match my skills easily…wait...where's Kemero?_ He thought, and spun away from a swipe of the long claws, the movement of his side making it burst in pain.

"Kemero! Hit it from behind!" Armos yelled, moving to the offense. He tried striking the monster as many times as he could, causing it to be busy with defending.

Kemero, whom heard, snapped out of his awe of the battle, and aimed his Varista at the black back of the monster. Just as the shield appeared to block one of Armos' blades, Kemero shot three bullets straight into its back, knocking it over. Armos, done with the monster, thrust his sword into its bloody back. He didn't want to take any chances.

"What was that?" Kemero asked, walking next to his partner. Armos shook his head, but knelt down next to the monster. From the bag on his back, he retrieved a metal box, with a protruding slip of a clear material.

"It sends DNA to the old man. He knew we would run into something new eventually, so he packed this for us," he explained, answering the perplexed look of his partner. Kemero didn't reply, but he watched as Armos obtained fresh blood, and carefully placed it on the clear slip. In reaction to the sample of the substance, the box emitted a light, and in the next moment, it was gone again, with the blood gone as well.

"That's pretty cool," Kemero noted, nodding his head in a slight astonishment. However, he's seen so much new technology that almost nothing would surprise him anymore.

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The Sage sat up immediately, hearing his transmitter that connected him and Armos. He climbed out of his bed which was in a room hidden behind his office, taking no time to reach his much larger machine than the small one that Armos carried. It was lit up, making noises, and finally, a metal slip with a purple substance emitted from a small hole. Both anxious and scared, the Sage grabbed the slip by the sides of it, and began running to the lead scientist to inform him of the new discovery.

The old scientist was asleep as well, except on his work desk. A small line of drool came from his mouth, wetting the paper that was underneath his firm chin. He was a man of small stature much like the Sage, and his hair was a graying red. His thin-rimmed spectacles were halfway down his nose, and he held a grizzly beard, not yet long enough to officially called one.

"Dr. Skervari, wake up!" the Sage yelled. The aging man snorted, and sat up, rubbing his green eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll get back to work!" he yelled, scribbling on the paper he was just drooling on. The Sage was ready to laugh at the ridiculous reaction the doctor made, but he kept his face grim.

"I've found a new specimen of Dimenian…or I should say _Armos_ has," he explained. The writing stopped, and there was a deadly silence between the two. Slowly, the doctor stood up, his eyes never leaving the small metal slip that was held in the withered hand of the Sage. He then walked quickly over, gently obtaining it from the leader of Corgrassa.

"When did you get this?" he hoarsely whispered, his hands shaking. The Sage noticed the extreme uneasiness, and placed a reassuring hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"Just a few minutes ago," he replied, offering a small smile. The old man began leaving, when he stopped at the door. "I must go now…we have to prepare for the battle against the Dimenians…if it hasn't already started."

Just as the old body shuffled out, the doctor turned around, eyeing the small slip. However, his mind was elsewhere.

"Good luck…brother," he said to himself.

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Mr.Who2123: Yay! Finished!

Armos: Please review.


	30. A Moment's Rest

Mr.Who2123: Oh…my…GOSH!!!

Armos: What?

Mr.Who2123: I planned the rest of my story…it goes to chapter 41…I'm almost DONE!!! (Begins crying)

Armos: Wow…almost done…that's pretty intense…

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 does not own anything associated with PSO or Sonic Team.

Armos: That was random…oh well…just start.

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Armos was clutching stomach as it continued to ooze blood from the previous battle. They had made it to a safe room in the ruin luckily, and the two had decided to set up camp…of course after Armos was treated.

"How is it?" Kemero asked as Armos finally fell on his knees.

"It's a strange wound…it keeps spreading…I only had a minor wound, but the cut has spread almost completely across my whole stomach now," Armos grunted. He slowly lifted his hands from the wound, revealing a bloody and grotesque mess mixed with festering.

"Resta," Armos said to himself. Photon gathered in his bloody hand, and formed a blue sphere, glowing brightly. Steadily, he applied the photon energy across his whole wound, sealing the skin and blood disappearing.

"Wow…is that another photon skill?" Kemero asked, kneeling down to see the results.

Armos nodded, his face less contorted in pain, but it was sweaty. The glowing sphere had disappeared now, and the wound was completely sealed, leaving a deep, dark scar.

_That reminds me of the wound on Armos' hand that I saw when I first met him…_ Kemero thought, noticing it was the same hue of dark brown.

"Hey, how'd you get that scar on your hand?" Kemero asked as Armos stood up, satisfied with the healing. Armos stopped, looked at Kemero, and sighed, taking off his right glove. The bare hand revealed the huge black scar that circled around the palm and almost to the back side of it. It had obviously nearly dismembered the whole hand.

"Well, when I was younger…about twenty…I decided to go into the ruin and face my past…however, I was severely overwhelmed, and had dropped one of my Yamato blades. When a Dimenian was about to slice my face, I lifted my hand to protect it…and it was close to splitting. When I finished killing that Dimenian, I hurriedly used Resta on my hand…and got this scar," Armos explained.

Kemero nodded, unconsciously feeling his own right hand, imagining the pain that was inflicted upon his partner.

"Well, we should set up camp," Armos continued, leaving the subject in the dust. Kemero nodded and watched Armos take his bag and pull out a small capsule about the size of his pinky. Pushing an even smaller button on it, Armos dropped the capsule onto the floor, and waited.

Suddenly, a huge tent came up, completely set up with Armos' journal inside of it as well. Kemero did the same when he found his capsule, watching in awe as the tent came up in a puff of smoke.

"I still don't get tired of that…" Kemero muttered, smiling as he saw his journal in the tent as well.

"We haven't written in these things for quite awhile, huh?" Armos said, walking inside his tent and immediately laying down due to fatigue.

"Yeah, you're right," Kemero said as well. He sat down in his tent and pulled out of the pen on the next blank page, now tapping it on his closed mouth.

_Need a light…_ he heard his stomach grumble quite loudly, _and some food as well._

He noticed Armos was writing as well, with a flashlight in his mouth pointing on the paper. Kemero then looked inside of his bag, finding a bag of strange food. Not really caring of what it is, Kemero opened the bag and threw some of the food in his mouth.

It was a mix of red and yellow chip-looking foods, but they were not crunchy, it was almost like gum, soft and flexible. The taste was a strange mix of sweet and sourness, but it was good, and Kemero swallowed it, already reaching for some more.

After Kemero had his fair share of food…which was almost half the bag, he looked for a flashlight, and found it easily, as it was on the top. He put the food in the bag, exchanging it with the light, and put it in his mouth as Armos did.

Looking over, the ranger noticed Armos was already asleep, his barely discernable figure rising and falling. Kemero silently turned on the light and began to write.

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_Journal,_

_I'm in the ruin with Kemero now. Somehow, I've managed to stay calm as I go further and further inside of it…I wonder if I'll see that wall again…however, it's at the bottom of this place...and I'm not sure if we can get that far…when I came myself, I had only gotten to the end of the first level…and there are three._

_Kemero has gotten stronger, and continues to influence me as I watch him…he is so hopeful, he thinks he can do anything. I almost envy him…_

_I'm too tired to write more._

_, Armos_

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_Dear Journal,_

_I'm at this ruin right now, and it is really creepy…it's always dark, and monsters are everywhere. Armos is strange also…he's kind of detached from everything…he's always thinking and he jumps with every movement that he doesn't see. Once I took a step behind him, and he had his sword at me before I could even say 'Ouch.' _

_I wonder if we'll ever make it out of this ruin alive…Armos couldn't make when he was a little younger…how can we expect to be able to do it now? I guess we'll just have to keep enduring until we reach the end._

_I wonder where the wall Armos saw is. I want to see how scary it is…or maybe I don't if it can scare Armos to tears…I'm not sure._

_Well, good night…I'm tired from a whole day of fighting monsters, including this weird looking one with a sword and invisible shield._

'_Night,_

_Kemero_

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The lead doctor, Skervari, placed the small sample of blood onto another slip which was fixed onto a large machine with a projector. With contact with the blood, the machine automatically turned on, and the projector as well. The doctor watched the screen which was now shown, seeing the machine discern the figure and composition of the new monster. He saw the human-like figure coming together as well as the attached swords, and the claw on its left hand.

The old doctor walked quickly over the desk nearby and began writing notes, looking consistently up at the picture.

With a big attention to detail, Skervari had made a sketch of the monster, and wrote notes at the side of it.

_Need a name…_ he muttered in his mind, tapping the writing utensil on the desk. _Has a saber as an arm…so…how about…'Delsaber'? That sounds good._

The doctor wrote the name of the Delsaber on the top of the paper, and left to find his brother, the Sage.

Running out of the huge government building, he headed for the top of the defensive wall where he knew the Sage would be directing projectile attacks. Running the short distance, he ran through the small tunnel, up the metal stairs, and to the top of the wall in only a few minutes. By this time, the older doctor was breathing heavily, with sweat beginning to appear on his face, but was wiped away by his hand.

Glancing over the edge of the city, he noticed that the army had just barely encountered the Dimenians, and the first drops of blood being shed. Bright lights in the evening were a beautiful sight despite the completely ugly battle that was below. Turning away, he found the Sage walking up and down the ranks, sometimes stopping to give orders to slackening rangers or forces, or suggesting a different type of projectile.

"Sage!" Skervari yelled, running over to him, and giving him the sketch. The Sage looked at it, his eyes scanning over the figure, weapons, traits, and population which were all amazingly obtained by one blood sample.

"Delsaber…I see. We should contact Armos immediately," the Sage said, and started leaving.

"Men! Keep fighting until I come back!" the old man yelled.

"SIR, YES SIR!!" they all yelled simultaneously. The Sage ran back to the government with unusual speed and stamina considering his old age and in a few minutes was in his office with his brother right behind him. Grabbing the communicator on a desk, turned it on and spoke in it.

"Armos, if you're there, we need to talk about the new sample you gave us," he said. Through the communicator, there was a crackling and ruffling sound until the faint voice of Armos was heard.

"Talk," was the short reply.

"Armos, those things have been named 'delsabers' and are dangerous. They can only be penetrated through the back, for they have a shield that covers their front," he said, and waited for a reply.

"Well, we kind of found that out while fighting it," Armos' indifferent reply was.

"It also steals your energy when it hits you…it also makes the wounds spread on you until you treat it completely," the Sage added.

"Yeah, we also found that out as well," Armos replied, with more interest. "Anything else that you want to say?"

"How are you?" There was no reply at first, but after a cough, and a very slightly varied tone, Armos replied.

"I'm doing okay…I'm a little scared to be completely honest, but I have to suck it up," he said. The Sage smiled at the comment.

"Glad you're doing well…I have to get back to the wall of defense…Dimenians are ambushing us," the Sage said, his face grim, and his voice now solemn.

"You will beat them, don't worry. I have to go…it's time to keep exploring for Kemero and me. We've slept for seven hours already. Good luck," Armos abruptly turned off the machine, and the Sage was left with the communicator, despite the situation, smiling.

"Armos never changes, huh?" Skervari said, noticing the smile on his brother's face.

"It's true," the Sage replied. "Now, let's get back to work, we don't have to time to be smiling at little trifles."

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Mr.Who2123: (Still crying over the story ending soon.)

Armos: Well, this nutty girl would like to thank 'ultamite nineball' for reviewing, and encourages any other readers to review as well.


	31. Voluntary Casualties

Mr.Who2123: Well, here's the next chapter…Only ten more after this… (Tears up)

Armos: She owns nothing.

Kemero: Begin!

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Raiden and his army had received the Dimenians almost a whole hour ago, but the gruesome fight was already proving too much for the soldiers. Men fought for their lives against the Dimenians, whom seemed to be having a better chance than the city.

Blood splattered the grassy floor, and dismembered arms, legs, or heads littered the floor like fallen leaves on the middle of fall. They were not just of men, though, a great toll had been taken on the Dimenians as well, but they're deaths were far less than that of the city itself.

"Keep working men!" Raiden yelled, in the fray himself. He had a double-sided red saber, which he spun gracefully and cut down enemies easily with. Stabbing one Dimenian in its chest, and then ducking away from a charging Dimenian with his hand still on the handle of his blade, and the Dimenian ran into the other side of it, killing itself.

Shoving off the bodies, Raiden continued to fight, his skills as a third-in-command incomparable. He slashed and dodged for as long as he could move, purple blood staining his light blue uniform.

However, the general made a false step, and spun on his ankle, twisting the muscle, and falling down, his foot in pain. A Dimenian took advantage of the misstep, and lifted its claw above the temporary general, ready to kill him. However, Raiden managed to lift his saber in time to block it. Then, he carefully stood up, the claw and the blade still together, glowing brightly together. Then, Raiden flipped the blade and sliced up the stomach of the Dimenian with the other side, and it fell with an inhuman scream.

Jumping over a dead body, Raiden engaged two more Dimenians and ducked from their thrusts. Careful not to place too much pressure on his twisted ankle, Raiden spun around and stabbed one Dimenian, and took the blade out immediately afterwards, watching the body fall to the floor. After dealing with the other Dimenian the same way, Raiden was free for a moment, as no Dimenians were close by.

He looked at the bodies all over the floor, purple and red mixing together in a grotesque mix, and Dimenian claws on the floor next to human heads. The general was forced to look away as he couldn't bear to see anymore.

_These soldiers all knew they would probably die…and they are giving their lives to defend others', _he thought, thinking of his long speech that he gave. _Sometimes I wonder…are we doing the right thing, making voluntary casualties like this?_

Three Dimenians approached the thinking general, whom quickly snapped out of his thoughts when he saw them. Lifting up his blade, Raiden dashed at them, slicing the lifted claw of a Dimenian off, and then slicing off the strange head, watching it roll on the already stained grass.

Dealing with the next Dimenian, Raiden blocked a thrust of the claw, and was forced to move the other side of his blade to dodge the slice of the third Dimenian. Falling to one knee under the weight of the blows, Raiden was in a true predicament. However, two thick bolts of lightning hit both Dimenians, whom fell under the pure power.

Confused, Raiden turned around to see the Sage waving down at him from the top of the wall. Raiden waved back, a relieved smile on his bloody face. The general began to move further into the enemy ranks, as none were in the area anymore.

From the corner of his eye, Raiden caught a glimpse of a soldier losing in a duel against a Dimenian. The sword was just knocked out of his hand, and the soldier was shaking, unsure of what to do.

Raiden ran for the young soldier, noticing his outfit was a green one, and that this soldier must've only been in the army for a month or two before being brought into this horrible, difficult war.

Only about ten meters from the two, Raiden kept moving, desperately hoping he'd make it before the soldier was killed. The green soldier, in fact, was too scared to move as the Dimenian moved closer, its green claw raised to kill him.

"NO!" Raiden yelled, stabbing the Dimenian in the back, the tip of the blade protruding from its stomach from the sheer force of the attack. However, it was too late. The claw had fallen, and the soldier was on the floor, his face now a bloody dismemberment.

Cursing, Raiden pulled the blade back from the Dimenian, and watched it fall on top of the soldier.

_I wonder…is it okay for young people to die like this?_ He wondered, tears almost in his eyes. Raiden then forced himself to calm down, and continue his way into enemy ranks. He looked at his bloody blade, purple almost completely covering the whole of it.

Throwing himself out of his melancholy thoughts, Raiden attacked three Dimenians at a time, ripping and thrashing at them mercilessly. He ducked dodged, jumped, and spun away from the endless amounts of photon powered claws, his anger and sadness for his soldiers colliding together inside of him, pumping vast amounts of adrenaline into his mind and body. He ducked from a horizontal thrust and kicked the legs, knocking the monster over. He quickly stabbed it in the questionable area as a face, and kept fighting.

Two Dimenians approached him; one on either side of him, and Raiden went straight for the one on the left. It lifted its claw, but Raiden caught the thin shoulder of the Dimenian, twisting it, and spun to face the other Dimenian that was making its way toward him. He practically threw the Dimenian he had a hold of, and it knocked the other Dimenian over, the claws unintentionally going into each other, and killed each other.

Suddenly, the adrenaline of war diminished in him, and he fell on one knee, perspiration all over his bloody face. He wearily wiped some off as he stood up, breathing heavily. However, the war was still far from over. The Dimenians and soldiers seemed to be equally strong, as they hadn't been pushed back towards the city at all. However, it was the same for the Dimenians. They hadn't been forced back either.

_I have to keep fighting…I can't stop until it's over,_ he thought, lifting up his blade in a fighting stance. Movement behind him caused Raiden to turn around, ready to intercept the enemy. Instead, he saw a new monster he hadn't encountered before. It had the sword and claw, with the human figure that Armos and Kemero had intercepted already, but this general hadn't yet, and had no idea how to fight the delsaber.

He sliced, made swift thrusts, but he couldn't land a hit on the enemy, and to make matters worse, he began to lose his strength. The delsaber made a quick swipe of its huge, spiked claw, and it ripped Raiden's chest, blood freely flowing from the huge wound. Screaming in enormous pain, Raiden fell to his knees, his blade on the grassy floor, and his hands clutching the bloody wound. The delsaber began advancing on the general, its sword glowing bright in the darkening evening.

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As the war waged incessantly above in Corgrassa, a war was also in the mind of the troubled general, his dark eyes looking at the floor and his hand on his chin.

_We're constantly getting closer_ _to the end…and this strange feeling in me gets stronger as we go…_ he thought darkly, his eyes glazed, and his mouth had unconsciously formed a frown. _It's not exactly fear…but…like I feel I _should_ be going down there…_

Kemero noticed the deep thought, but tried to ignore as they progressed to the next room. They had just finished slaying an easy set of Dimenians, no Delsabers thank goodness, and were leaving. Not a word had passed between the two since they had woken up to continue, and Kemero was becoming unnerved from the constant expressions of confusion and fear on his partner's face.

"Are you o-," Kemero began to ask, the silence too much fro his inquisitive mind.

"I'm fine," was the immediate response, in a tone that showed he was not to be disturbed. Kemero sighed, his eyes on the thinking general.

The two walked through the next automatic door, ready to fight, but instead came upon a very tiny, square room with a red portal right in the middle. Kemero looked to Armos for enlightenment on the portal, and saw he had barely noticed it at all.

"Armos there is a portal right in front of us," Kemero said, his impatience not persuadable. He couldn't hide the concern he had for Armos, and it was evident enough in his voice.

"Hm? Oh, right. This portal will take us to the second level of the ruin," Armos said, after a short glance. The strange, glazed expression on his face was gone, and all that was left was the powerful, stubborn, confident Armos that Kemero remembered.

"How many levels are there?" Kemero asked, a smile on his face.

"Three. So we are already one third of the way to the end," Armos said, his last sentence more to himself. "Let's get going."

"Alright," Kemero responded, stepping inside, right next to Armos, and waited for it to take him even deeper inside of the ruin.

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Mr.Who2123: Dun-dun-dun!! Two cliffhangers in one chapter!

Armos: Wow, I wonder what I'm thinking…I need to go into the ruin? Sheesh…

Kemero: Ah, I care about you!

Armos: …That wasn't a very pleasant sentence, you know.

Kemero: Review, please!

Armos and Mr.Who2123: …


	32. Golem Attack

Mr.Who2123: I can't get this story out of my head…

Armos: Good…I can't wait to see the end.

Mr.Who2123: (Begins crying) NINE MORE CHAPTERS AFTER THIS!!!!

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 doesn't own anything associated with PSO or Sonic Team.

Armos: Begin.

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Raiden couldn't see the approaching delsaber, couldn't hear the sounds of a gruesome war all around him, and couldn't smell the repulsive smell of death; he could only feel the growing pain in his chest. He was shaking, his body dropping body temperature suddenly, and he clutched even harder at his wound.

The Sage, seeing the delsaber, directed all attacks on it, sending fire, ice, and lightning projectiles at the monster. However, it just put its shield to all of it, deflecting the blows easily. Cursing, it continued to advance for Raiden, and the Sage began a spell he hadn't used in a long time.

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"_Now Armos, this is the strongest spell in the whole world," the Sage said, his face solemn as he looked at the teenage Armos, who had his interest piqued at the sound of 'strongest spell in the world.'_

"_Alright, what's it like?" Armos asked as he had full attention on the old man before him._

"_Well, you focus all your energy into a condensed area, and keep feeding power into that area of condensed photon. Then, it will explode when you put enough in," the Sage said, smiling at the wide eyes of his foster child. "It is called Megid."_

_The Sage began to use the spell to show Armos what it looks like; he lifted his hands, closed his eyes, and focused hard._

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Now, the Sage was doing the same thing, his area of focus the delsaber. He ordered one Force to keep the Delsaber busy as he focused, his energy leaving him as he performed Megid. Suddenly, the magic projectiles of the force ended, and the Sage noticed the soldier was out of energy, and the delsaber was free to kill the general.

The delsaber lifted its sword-arm, but the Sage didn't have enough energy to use Megid, and was forced to watch as he continued his spell. The delsaber thrust downward upon the poor general, and the Sage closed his eyes, emotionally unable to see Raiden get killed. He waited, a moment, and when the Sage noticed his spell was complete, he opened his eyes. Raiden was on the floor, a gash in his leg, foot, and the first one in his chest still there, but the Sage noticed he still lived, as he saw the small rising and falling of his bloody chest.

"Megid!" the Sage yelled, letting it go. Suddenly, the delsaber was surrounded by black magic as more and more gathered around it, freezing it in its place. More are more gathered until it was a thick black ball, and when it couldn't possibly couldn't get any thicker or more condensed, to put it in practical words, the energy exploded, white light bursting in the almost night sky. Dimenians and soldiers alike turned to the explosion in awe, forgetting the fight almost completely.

Raiden opened his eyes very slightly, seeing white light all around him.

_Am I…am I dead?_ He wondered, his face becoming relaxed, and let his eyes close again.

The Sage, seeing the dying general, muttered a Resta, sending the spell to his wounds. The blood slowly disappeared, and soft blue light slowly began covering the whole of his body, making him look almost like a holy figure.

Raiden slowly opened his eyes, the pain of his wounds quickly disappearing. Instead of a bright white light, a soft blue one covered him now, and the general sat up, the wounds no longer paining him. He looked around, seeing the war still around him, and promptly stood up, understanding that someone must've healed his wounds.

Picking up his blade, the general the delsaber was now a pile of disgusting black flesh mixed with liquid photon dripping out, mixing with its purple blood.

Smiling, Raiden started fighting, the fact that it was in the black of night not deterring the general one bit.

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Armos and Kemero looked about themselves, analyzing the new area they were in. On the walls, white air blew out of minute holes, making the whole room misty and cold. Kemero shivered, and Armos looked about with a slight hint of fear in his expression.

"Creepy," Kemero stated, looking around with a bit of awe and fear as well.

"It's the ruin after all…did you expect it to be pretty?" Armos asked, smirking at the second-in-command.

"Not really…it's just creepier than the first level. The first one was so dark that you couldn't see anything, but this one has mist everywhere," Kemero replied, finding the automatic door, and making a quick beckoning to his partner. Armos followed, shrugging, and entered through the door with Kemero.

Inside, the room was square shaped, with much mist in it also. Strange red lights were on the walls, giving an eerie glow to the room. Strange designs covered the black walls, lines that moved in unorganized directions, looking almost like a young child had scribbled over the walls.

To the far wall ahead of them, black energy surged in a big, black circle, and the two generals prepared for an enemy. Suddenly, a giant, brown monster appeared, almost touching the ceiling with its flat head. It looked like a simple gingerbread, except not flat like one, and the edges of its hands and feet were sharp, rather than round. Green photon coursed through its arms, legs, and head, and those brown arms nearly dragged on the floor being so long.

Armos and Kemero then noticed the monster was facing backwards, and it began to make a circle, moving very _slowly_. Armos and Kemero smiled at the dumb monster, walking up to it with amusement in their eyes.

"What kind of monster is this?" Armos asked, kicking it. The monster made no flinch, but kept moving around towards them, almost halfway there.

"It'll take forever for this thing to even hit us…" Kemero muttered, chuckling.

"Should I just kill it quick and put it out of its slow misery?" Armos asked, laughing slightly as well. They continued to make jokes, now turned away from the big golem-gingerbread looking monster. The two generals eventually forgot about the enemy, as it finally made its way around in a half-circle to be right behind, and facing them.

Suddenly, immeasurable strength and force smashed the two generals against each other, knocking them two the floor, their heads bleeding from the collision they made with each other.

"Crap…" Kemero muttered, seeing the golem right behind them. He and Armos rolled out of the way of the next blow that the monster was about to make, making him miss completely. The two walked back to the front, far from the monster, as Armos began to heal the head wounds from the collision.

"I doubt that thing can get us while were over here," Armos muttered, using his 'Resta' move on Kemero's moderately bleeding head. After doing so, as well as doing it to himself as well, Armos and Kemero looked over to the monster, seeing he was standing there, staring at them.

"That has to be the lamest monster I have ever seen…" Kemero muttered. Pulling out his blades, Armos made his way to kill the golem, and Kemero pulled out his gun. However, Armos was forced to roll out of the way in surprise as a giant brown arm was sent flying straight for Kemero. Cursing, the ranger ducked below the arm, his eyes wide in disbelief and shock.

"He shot his arm!" Armos yelled at the shocked Kemero, a strange expression on his face. He also said that statement to reassure himself, that he wasn't crazy, or he wasn't just seeing things. Looking back at the golem, the two generals noticed the arm had grown back in an instant, and was back on its hand, as if it was never sent flying at its adversaries.

The two generals became serious, and charged at the golem, Kemero shooting with his Varista, and Armos pulling out his giant metal blade. The hunter ducked under a slow swipe of the golem's hands, and stabbed the blade into its brown chest, thinking it would be enough. However, the golem seemed unfazed, and swept away Armos, sending him against the wall while the huge sword was still in it.

Kemero kept shooting at the golem's giant head, hoping it did some damage, but the way the golem ignored the blows made it seem unlikely, to the ranger's despair. Armos then pulled out his twin blades, the light blue photon shining bright in the dark, misty room. He made slashes and powerful thrusts at the golem, making sure to stay behind it so it couldn't retaliate in the least.

Finally, the golem seemed to weaken as the thing photon lines coursing through it began to darken, and the golem would undergo many periods of just freezing in the middle of battle before suddenly starting again and making its way in a circle to get its enemies.

Armos jumped over a swipe of the humongous hand, and landed on it, his stability pushed to the limit. Carefully, he jumped up and landed on the golem's flat head, his own touching the ceiling if he stood full height. Kemero stopped shooting as he looked up in awe. Armos lifted his right hand, which held a blade, and thrust downward as hard as he could. The blade sunk deep, and made a loud crack as the golem's head split open. The hunter lost balance from the sudden movements the golem made and fell off, landing with a roll to end any possible harm that could have been caused from falling at such a great height.

Kemero watched the golem literally fall apart and turn into a giant pile of extremely hard rocks with green, liquid photon drenching it all. Armos made his way through the piles and found his giant metal blade as well as the handle of his twin blade, as it had somehow turned off in the giant crash.

"Well…that was an interesting fight…" Kemero said. Armos actually laughed and nodded.

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_Dear Journal,_

_Today was interesting. When we woke up, we went through the next door and fought this giant golem looking thing. It was funny because it was so slow, and it took five minutes just turn around. Well, Armos and I also found out it can do some serious damage. I think I still have a headache from it smashing Armos' and my heads together. _

_Well, the rest of the ruin was pretty boring after that. There were mainly Dimenians, with a few claws, and there was one Bulclaw…but other than that, nothing special had happened._

_Oh, guess what! Armos and I are in Ruin TWO! That means we are getting really close to the end of the ruin. Apparently there are three parts of the ruin…wow, we are doing really well! _

_I think we'll have a chance at completing our investigation! I mean, if it's going to be like this the whole way, it'll be pretty easy! Maybe I have gotten better…I remember when I used to be scared of Dimenians. Man, now I laugh at them. _

_Well, I had a pretty good today, considering I got a good laugh out of that Golem thing. Armos didn't even do a blood sample, saying that it wasn't worth it. I kind of agree with him too. It is a pretty worthless monster._

'_Night!_

_Kemero_

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_Journal,_

_I have grown quite attached to the thought that I can finish investigating this ruin. It's a pleasant idea, but I have a feeling that it won't be such a joy ride as we go further. _

_We fought a strange golem today…it was horribly slow, but it made up for that slowness with strength. It could've easily cracked Kemero and my skulls open if it had the proper opportunity. However, I didn't send the DNA to the old man. I felt it wasn't necessary, considering it was barely a tough opponent. The reason it took so long, though, was because it has the defense of a solid rock._

_Hm…I feel I should be down in the pit of the ruin right now…I almost feel like sprinting down there right now…it sounds suicidal, but it's true. But I have another feeling too…I feel I won't be coming out of this ruin very soon…or maybe not at all._

_However, my predictions have grown quite untrustworthy lately, and I wouldn't count on it. …Oh man, I feel like I'm contradicting myself right now, but…maybe I'm saying that my predictions are inaccurate because…that's what I want to believe…I want to believe this will be over soon…Oh, I do…so much._

_Armos_

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Mr.Who2123: Ooh, the end of Armos' journal was a little creepy. But it was kind of sad, too. Poor Armos, he wants to be away from the ruin!

Armos: You know, I'm right here…

Mr.Who2123: I know Armos is right here, duh.

Armos: …

Kemero: Review please!


	33. Bittersweet Victory

Mr.Who2123: Because this story will be over so soon, I'm just going to go straight through it…it should only take a couple more days…or a week.

Armos: Man, you're on a roll!

Mr.Who2123: I love this story so, so much!

Kemero: Eight more!

Mr.Who2123: (Crying) I OWN NOTHING!!

Armos: Begin!

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Raiden continued fighting, even though it was past midnight, his passion for his country and his men strong, keeping him focused on the gruesome fight. He worked hard, destroying as many Dimenians as he could, and working to save as many lives as he could.

It seemed nothing else mattered at that moment, his life was the war, and if he lost the war, he lost his life. His eyes were plastered onto one of the figures of a Dimenian, and he demolished it, slicing quickly and with precise aim. The inhuman cry barely passed through its mouth before it fell, dead.

The next few hours were a blur to him. The number of enemies seemed to drop, and he ventured further and further into the abyss of night that stretched before him. Suddenly, however, a large group of Dimenians approached towards him, and the general had to back away, knowing it would be a battle he could not win.

One soldier came on either side of Raiden, both of them in the suit of orange, signifying they were moderately trained and practiced at war.

"Sir, let's take them," they said, both saluting their general at the same time. Raiden nodded and lifted his red blade, which shone brightly in the night sky like a torch in pure ink black darkness.

Raiden charged at the large group of Dimenians, estimating there were about twenty, and began to slice at them, fighting for his life as well as the lives of others. He saw the blue sabers of his fellow fighters, seeing them work hard as they, with more difficulty than the general, kill Dimenians.

Finally, the mini battle in the war finished, and Raiden looked over to his fellow fighters. He saw one, but he was definitely not happy. He was hunched over, a barely discernable face of fear on his face. Raiden walked over to him, and noticed the other soldier he worked with was on the floor, a photon claw of a Dimenian protruding from his chest. The arm must have been dismembered, because there was no body of the Dimenian attached, with purple blood oozing out of the shoulder that had been ripped off, and red blood from the soldier's fatal wound.

"Andre…Andre…" the orange soldier moaned, tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm sorry soldier…he fought valiantly…and I thank you and Andre for your help," Raiden said, placing a reassuring hand on his soldier's shoulder, although the pain in his heart was almost unbearable.

"Thank you…sir," the soldier replied, looking up at his general with a tear stained face. The wetness glittered in the moonlight, making his face almost seem glowing. Raiden looked down at the young face of the dead soldier, and noticed a strange alikeness between him and the other orange soldier.

"Andre…he was my brother…" he muttered, seeing that the general saw the similarities.

"I'm sorry…" the general said again, unsure of how to comfort the young man. "But we shall keep fighting, so more of these deaths won't occur. Alright?"

The soldier nodded, his face determined, and lifted up his blue sword.

"For the lives that were lost!" he exclaimed, and began to rush off into battle, though not recklessly. Raiden smiled, and nodded, although no one was there to perceive that nod.

"Yes, for the lives that were lost," he repeated, and followed that soldier to protect that very life that understood the importance of others'.

He noticed him dueling with a Dimenian, and winning easily. He finally stabbed the monster with his blade and continued, slashing as fast as his strength could muster. A Dimenian behind the soldier approached, and the soldier, not noticing it, ignored the threat. With a yell, Raiden managed to chuck his double-sided saber through the Dimenian before it could kill the soldier. Running up to the fallen corpse, he pulled out his blade and continued to fight.

Hours droned, the fighting continuing to be hard, the Dimenians relentless in their fighting, and merciless as well.

Suddenly, a foreign sound came to the general's ears.

"THEY'RE RETREATING!!" some yelled. Cheers rang through the crowd, as the general noticed the Dimenians had left, and the city army was left alone to cheer for their hard fought victory.

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The Sage was now in front of the dirty, bloody, and tired general, looking over at the bloody grassland that was once beautiful. Now, it was completely covered in blood, a sea of death and grim sadness and loss, unlike before which was a beautiful land of bountiful life.

"It was a hard victory, wasn't it general?" the Sage asked, looking at Raiden with a mix of happiness at the victory, yet sadness at the huge loss.

"Yes, sir, we have lost half of our army to the enemy," he replied, sounding formal and distant, yet not in a rude way.

_I'm not used to the 'sirs' yet…I think I liked it when Armos called me an 'old man.' It was a way more honest name than 'sir,' _the Sage thought; smiling at how much he missed those two generals.

"Very well, get cleaned up…my officials and I are going to arrange a ceremony in honor for these brave soldiers," the Sage said, beginning to walk away. Raiden looked into a polished, metal canon, and noticed how contorted his face was, and how gruesome the fight he had fought was.

His face was covered in mud, blood, and even a couple drops of liquid photon from the Dimenians. His face was in a plastered grimace, tight, and his eyes were squinted close together.

"Maybe I should get cleaned up," the general thought out loud, and did what he just said.

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Everything had calmed down in the city. It was a week after the war; the blood had dried, the bodies had been picked up or decomposed in the earth, and people had restored their homes and lives, except for the great loss of the soldiers.

There was a huge, metal stage, covered in many red and white lights, yet not too decorative. Black ribbons were with the red and white lights, representing death, while the red lights represented the blood lost from the war, and the white for the pure courage these soldiers poured into the war, dedicating their lives for their city.

Raiden stood on this stage, in front of all the soldiers that had fought in the war. They were all in black suits, their heads down and their faces grim. The Sage was at the front of the stage, just before the general, and was about to commence the ceremony.

The whole rest of the city was at the ceremony, millions of people in chairs, appreciating the dedication of the soldiers. The Sage cleared his throat and then approached a machine much like a microphone, yet projected sound much, much farther so that the people in the way back could hear, considering there were over a million of them.

"My dear citizens of Corgrassa," he began looking about the many sad faces of the people, some of them crying for close losses. "We gather here today to recognize the bravery of the soldiers who fought with their lives to protect us all. They show unmatched dedication and strength, for nothing could be more brave than fighting against monsters with merciless strength and incredible numbers."

He hesitated a moment, thinking of the bloody field just outside their city, and how horrible it was to see dismembered body parts all over the battle, drenched in mixed blood.

"I'd like to specially thank Raiden, the general of our city, whom motivated and directed our soldiers," the Sage added, gesturing towards the general. Raiden, who is quite modest, turned red and waved, thanking everyone with a smile on his face. The Sage then backed away from the microphone, and Raiden took it, looking at the huge crowd in front of them.

"Everyone…everyone, I'd just like to say 'thank you' for showing your love of the city by coming. I know this past week has been hard, thinking of our lost loved ones. But know this, everyone…I'm sure they've gone to a better place, for they served the army, they served the city, they served all of you…their service shall not be forgotten, and we will always remember the lost soldiers, keeping them in our hearts. …Thank you," Raiden finished, stepping back.

A huge uproar of applause came from the audience, drowning everything else out, and making Raiden turn slightly red with all the notice. This continued for a few minutes until it slowly died down, and the Sage once again approached the microphone.

"Thank you, general Raiden…I agree with you…this battle and the lives of our soldiers will not be forgotten!" he exclaimed. More applause came, just as loud as the last, many of the people with tear-streaked faces.

Raiden looked back at his army, and noticed the brother of Andre, his face wet with tears, yet he was smiling, for he knew that he would always remember Andre and his sacrifice.

"Thank you, sir," the soldier called, saluting Raiden, and the general, tears forming in his eyes as well, saluted him back.

"Thank you, soldier," Raiden replied, grinning.

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Mr.Who2123: Wow…Two chapters in one night…you lucky ducks!

Armos: Aw…that was a sad chapter…

Mr.Who2123: I know…I almost cried on the Andre part…poor Andre…

Kemero: Please review!

Mr.Who2123: You just ruined the moment…

Armos: He always ruins the moment…you should know that by now.

Mr.Who2123: Very true…


	34. The Unknowing Navigator

Mr.Who2123: Seven…seven more… (Is in delusional state…)

Armos: (Snaps fingers in front of Mr.Who2123's face, yet she is unfazed) Snap out of it!

Kemero: The crazy and delusional mind of Mr.Who2123 does not own PSO.

Armos: Hello!?

Mr.Who2123: Seven…seven more…

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Under the dark roof and misty air of the ruin, Armos and Kemero had already finished packing their tents, and were enjoying a light meal, their weapons and bags on the floor next to them. Armos placed a piece of food in his mouth, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing it.

"Another day, huh," Kemero said, eating his last pieces of food before standing up. Armos nodded, finishing his meal as well, and grabbed his bag, shouldering it.

A familiar beeping noise came from the right of Armos, and the hunter realized he had forgotten to feed Kama.

"Sorry, Kama," Armos said, smiling apologetically at the floating mag. Kemero, remembering he had forgotten also, began shoveling through his pack for a couple of monomates. Making its usual clicking noises, signifying its happiness, the mag returned to its place, one mag on each shoulder. Kemero fed the mag some of the metal spheres as well, and Asparus made similar noises as Armos' mag.

"Well, we should get going," Kemero said, shouldering his pack. Armos nodded, and the two entered through the next door.

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_Armos ran through the ruin, sweat and blood all over his face. His golden hair was matted, stained, and ugly, while his eyes were wide, fear written all over them. At least twenty Dimenians were after him, as he ran through the automatic door, turning with hallways and not stopping at any cost. _

_He was met with a room that had three stems, one to the front, left, and right. The hunter took the left path, and followed a long hallway where he came into another room also with three paths, and this time he took the right passage. On the last room, he took the one directly ahead of him, still running as fast as he could. _

_Only when he passed the next hallway and reached a rather large room did the hunter stop, his heart beating crazy fast and his chest rising and falling harshly. Armos' breath was short and his legs felt like jelly at that moment. He slid down to the floor, still tired, and still scared._

_Suddenly, enemies appeared in the huge room he was in, new enemies he had not encountered before. Fear shot through the hunter immediately, and he began to run through the next door, knowing it would be suicide to fight._

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Armos stopped cold, this memory flashing through him like a rocket. He held his head for a moment before quickly shaking it off before Kemero could notice that something was wrong. He and Kemero walked through the hallways, and entered into a moderately sized room.

"Why are there so many rooms? I mean, there's no point in having fifty rooms," Kemero mumbled upon entering through the door. Armos smiled at the comment and pulled out his giant blade, ready to fight. They waited for a fight, Kemero with his sword poised, and Kemero with his Varista loaded. Armos looked up and noticed that the doors were already open, and that there weren't going to be any enemies appearing.

"C'mon, this place is empty," Armos said, and turned left to the next hallway. Kemero followed, looking back at the other two possible doorways.

"How do you know the path is this way?" Kemero asked.

"Kemero, this is the only path isn't it?" Armos asked in return as they passed through the door, and were in a long, thin hallway. Red lights were on the sides, shining dimly between the thick mist, and the sound of shoes on floor echoed throughout the hall.

Kemero was unnerved by the dark ruin, but more by Armos' reply. _Maybe he just knows where he's going…_ Kemero thought, chancing a glance at the hunter next to him. He seemed focused and determined; not a hint of fear was in his face. The ranger hesitantly dismissed the subject altogether, keeping his inquisitive mouth closed.

The next room looked almost exactly the same as the room before, the moderate size, the emptiness, everything. Kemero began to pull out his weapon, but noticed Armos hadn't done anything yet, his eyes scanning the room.

"C'mon," he said, walking to the right door. Kemero looked about himself, waiting for enemies to appear like they usually did.

"Shouldn't enemies be appearing?" Kemero asked, slowly following. Armos shrugged, now through the door on the right, and walking through another identical hallway.

"Everything looks the same…what's going on?" Kemero asked, sighing. Armos glanced back, shrugging again. "What about the other rooms…they might lead the right way."

"What other ways?" Armos asked, stopping, and looking at his partner in the eye, and his own expressing full honesty.

"Armos, there were two other doors, in that last room that we could've gone through," Kemero said.

_Something really strange is going on…_ he thought, waiting for a reply.

"No there weren't…there is this way, and this way only," Armos replied, and a small grin appeared on his face. "Are you okay?" The hunter continued to the next room while Kemero stared at Armos in pure disbelief. Against his will, Kemero followed Armos, and entered the next room.

Exactly the same as the last two rooms, and Kemero was close to exploding.

"Why are these rooms all the same?" Kemero practically yelled, not even bothering to get ready for a fight. He knew it would be like the last two rooms.

"Calm down...I don't know why they're all the same, now let's keep going," Armos replied, beginning to get agitated with Kemero's distorted behavior. Kemero, completely confused, angry, and impatient at the same time, just followed Armos, his mind not knowing what else to do.

Armos promptly walked through the next door, and there was another door right in front of them. The two stopped before entering; Kemero's face became a face of relief, and Armos continued to be one of confusion.

"Finally…not something the same!" Kemero exclaimed, sighing.

"Something weird is going on," Armos added, his mind tracing the events of the past three rooms. "I only saw one door that led us further in each room…yet you saw three in each?"

"Yeah, that's true," Kemero replied, nodding. Finally, the two entered the next room, and, to Kemero's huge relief, there was a completely different room. Inside, it was very, very huge. Small stairways led up on each side, leading to a view of a vast emptiness in front of it. On the other side of the room, the wall had large, red, circular lights on it, one larger than the rest in the middle. The mist was also especially strong here, bringing a cloak of mysterious darkness about the room.

"Wow…" Kemero muttered, walking a couple steps. Suddenly, the sound of a monster was made, unfamiliar to the generals. Suddenly, a centaur looking monster appeared, except it was completely black, except for the default green photon running through its veins. It came charging so fast that Kemero and Armos had barely rolled away in time not to get trampled from its huge power and speed. The two generals were able to examine the monster more closely, noticing it had a huge sword attached to its right arm and had no discernable face.

It quickly began to make an advance on the hunter, and Armos deflected the blow it made with his giant, metal blade. Armos ducked under another swing, and made a clean cut on the stomach of the new monster. The monster made another of its inhuman cries, the sound between a Dimenian and a dying horse, and Kemero covered his ears and eyes, hoping that could somehow block out the sound. The closing of his ears and eyes were helpless, as he heard the loud shriek all the same, piercing through his hands that covered his ears.

The monster began making another attack on Armos, and while the hunter fought him off, he noticed the photon had turned yellow when he hit him. Armos blocked a blow of the centaur-looking monster's sword, and held him there long enough for Kemero to get three strong bullets into its head. The monster cried again, thrashing its sword-arm crazily. Now both Kemero and Armos noticed the photon had turned to a deep, crimson red inside the monster.

"I thought it was green," Kemero said as Armos backed away towards his partner, getting away from the wild thrusts slicing the air. Armos saw the monster had finished its rampage and went up to kill it quickly. However, the sword-arm of the monster was raised in the air, and photon gathered around the monster. Photon, shaped as the outline of a star, surrounded it, spinning fast with power. Armos saw what was coming, and ran back towards Kemero, whom was watching the monster with confusion.

"Get down now!" Armos yelled! However, Kemero somehow didn't hear, and stayed put. The hunter, finding no time to yell again as the monster was about to shoot the attack, pushed the ranger, knocking Kemero over, and leaving the hunter no time to do the same.

A giant blast, engulfing the room with a dark blue color, directly hit Armos, knocking him over next to Kemero, unmoving and bloody. His whole body was affected by the blast, and there almost wasn't one place on his body where there was no wound. Kemero wearily got up, and noticed the sacrifice made by the hunter.

"Armos!" he yelled, gingerly touching his wounded shoulder. There was no reaction to his touch, not even a small tenseness in his muscles. Kemero couldn't see Armos' face, as he was lying face down on the cold, hard ground. Cursing, the ranger pulled his attention to the monster, which had just recovered from the huge attack. The photon running through it was green again, signaling that it wouldn't make that move again anytime soon.

A beeping noise emitted from behind Kemero, he looked back, noticing Asparus held a yellow light that circled around its huge body.

"You…you want to fight it, too?" Kemero asked, unsure of what it was trying to say. However, he had no time to wait for an answer as the monster quickly advanced towards the ranger.

_Oh man…I forgot to bring my shield generator that I used for that one training session…_ Kemero muttered, starting to run. The ranger heard his mag beep again, sounding different than its usual, playful self.

"I have no idea what you're saying, but I think you want me to _face_ this thing?" Kemero asked, slowing down slightly. A happy, immediate response came, and Kemero shrugged, trusting Asparus. He turned around, stopping, and looked at the monster full in the face. Suddenly, he noticed, a circle of photon came around his feet, glowing a pure, white light. It was an intricate design on the floor; beautiful to scratch the surface of it, but it disappeared too quickly as Asparus began his photon blast.

Asparus, behind Kemero, quickly disappeared, and Kemero looked around, wondering what happened to it. Suddenly, the whole room turned into a plethora of colors, like the whole world was a huge rainbow. Kemero looked around in wonderment until Asparus appeared above him, except in a completely different form.

A creature, larger than any monster he's seen before, appeared. It had the shape of a dolphin, yet photon ran through its blue skin. It had glowing white eyes and its teeth were sharp. It charged at the centaur, which was frozen with fear, and a huge explosion emitted with the collision. Kemero heard the inhuman cry of the centaur, but it was crisply short, and gone in an instant.

The room turned back into its dark, misty state, and Asparus was once again behind Kemero. The centaur was dead; barely the same as its live state, and Kemero was wasted.

"Wow…you own Asparus," he said, looking at the monster with amazement. The ranger then remembered Armos, and ran for his partner.

_Crap…please don't be dead…_ Kemero thought, panicked, both his heart and his feet racing with worry.

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Mr.Who2123: Mwahaha, cliffhanger!

Armos: Yeah right…you're too soft-hearted to kill me…you love me!

Mr.Who2123: That's actually true…

Kemero: Please review!


	35. Mutated Hate

Mr.Who2123: Man, this chapter is going to be fun. Just look at the chapter title! It makes you wonder what could be mutated hate…

Armos: Oh, I know, I know!

Mr.Who2123: You know because you read my notes.

Armos: Hehehe…

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 does not own PSO.

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Kemero kneeled down next to his dying friend, and to put it in practical words, the ranger was freaking out. His breathing rate was extremely quick, and his eyes were wide. His hands shook, half in fear of the death, half in pure anger and hate at the monster.

Quickly pulling his bag off of his shoulder, Kemero found a bottle of monomates, and fished the lid open, pouring out a handful. Kemero gently rolled his friend over, wincing at how the movements must've hurt for the hunter, and dropped a monomate into Armos' open mouth. It quickly disappeared beneath his throat, appearing to not do anything. Kemero waited for some sign that the monomate was working, but there was none.

Impatient, Kemero dropped a couple monomates into Armos' mouth, and continued waiting. There was still no sign of recovery, and Kemero, worried, bent over to hear for a heartbeat. The ranger put his ear to Armos' bloody chest, and waited. Pure panic and grief came into the ranger as he heard nothing. His eyes began to fill up with unexpected tears, until he heard a very soft 'thump.' Kemero nearly jumped upon hearing the noise, which was purely euphonious to him. However, the ranger saw no recovery with the monomates, and promptly placed a whole handful into the hunter's mouth.

Armos spluttered the huge handful of monomates out of his mouth, weakly coughing.

"Are you trying to kill me with drug overdose?" Armos asked, his eyes opening slightly.

"You're alive!" Kemero shouted, and nearly laughed at the comment if he had not been so scared.

"Of course I am, I can't be killed by one blow…even if it hurts like heck," Armos replied, arrogant even when almost dead. "Resta." Blue light came into his bloody hand, and instead of Armos applying the light to the wounds he had, the soft, blue light of the spell shot out of his hand, and all over the hunter's body, covering him almost completely.

Kemero watched in amazement as Armos was sitting up in the next minute, his wounds now scratches, although there was a scar on the stomach, which was where he took the brunt of the blow.

"Is it dead?" Armos asked, picking up the sword he had dropped in the fight. He looked around tensely, but there was no monster around, and the hunter relaxed. "How'd you kill it?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"I used my mag. Asparus must've gotten mad when it saw you get hurt…just like when Kama got mad when I first went into the training room with you," Kemero said, his head slightly reclining as he recalled the old memory. Armos nodded, clearly remembering that time as well.

"It was so much simpler than this…" Kemero muttered, saying his thoughts out loud.

"Yeah…c'mon, let's get going," Armos said, standing up. He wobbled slightly, his body not completely recovered from the shock of the blow and his energy really low from the extreme use of photon on himself. The hunter put an arm on Kemero's shoulder, needing the slight support for his weaker state.

"Let's hope that we won't fight anyone hard," Kemero said, as they began to walk across the huge room. Armos smirked at the comment, nodding. The two moved slowly, and talked freely of past times, enjoying each other's company.

Sooner than they expected, the two generals were at the door, and entered, immediately being in another room with no hallway attached.

The photon levels were lower than normal, and Armos could sense it. Nodding, he told Kemero there should be no enemies in this room.

"Dimenians need a good level of photon to appear, but this has a lower concentration than normal," he explained. Both Armos and Kemero walked to the door on the left, Armos beginning to support himself as he lightened his grip on Kemero's shoulder.

The sound of a footstep stopped both of the generals, a sound that sounded exactly like their own footsteps. They turned around, confused, relieved, and slightly unnerved that someone else could be down here besides monsters. However, there was nothing there, just the plain, empty, and dark room.

"I thought I heard a footstep," Kemero muttered.

"I as well…" Armos replied, his dark eyes scanning for something unusual. "I wonder if it was our imaginations at work, though." Armos turned around reluctantly while Kemero did the same. Slowly, they passed through the door, and entered through another one only a couple feet away from the first.

There was a cold, delicate silence between the generals as they passed through the next door. Their minds worked at the mysterious sound, both wondering how both of them could have heard it at the same time when the only explainable explanation is their mind playing tricks on their ears.

Armos had taken his hand off of Kemero's shoulder, his strength surely returning quickly. Immediately, Armos heard a high surge of photon upon entering the new room, and pulled out his twin blades.

However, upon entering, Armos noticed something clear, shining, and pentagon-shaped in the corner of his eyes. Looking, he noticed it was another of those crystal monuments, which held strange characters on it.

_I can't look at it until I am done with the fighting…_ he thought however as the usual black energy Armos and Kemero were used to, came about in the room. Five Dimenians appeared, advancing towards the two generals.

"I take two, you take three," Armos said, and lifted his shining blue blades into a fighting position. Kemero nodded, grabbing the strap of his giant gun and turning it so he could grab the huge handle and point the gun while it was still hanging off of his shoulder.

Armos grabbed the attention of two of the Dimenians, bringing them into a secluded area. He waited for them to get close enough, focusing on getting the battle over with due to his weakened state. Quickly, he stabbed a monster in the stomach before it could lift its claw, killing it instantly. Then, with most of his lessened strength, Armos shoved the monster into the other one; the protruding sword stabbed the other Dimenian, also killing it.

"That was easy," he muttered, pulling out his twice bloodied sword. Sheathing his turned-off blades now, he looked to Kemero, whom had basically obliterated all three Dimenians with only two shots. He was smiling as he put away his large gun.

"I killed mine first!" Kemero exclaimed. Armos smirked with him, surprised that was the reason for Kemero's jubilance.

The two's smiles turned into fear as the human-like footsteps were heard once more.

"General…Armos…" a demonic, yet strangely similar voice said, yet there was no body to confirm the voice with.

"…Who is that?" Kemero asked, touching his giant gun unconsciously.

"…Don't you…remember _me?_" the voice said again. Black energy once again surged in the area and Armos pulled out his twin blades.

"Stop hiding and come out," Armos said calmly, finding that the energy had become concentrated on a single area in the middle of the room. Kemero and Armos were on either side of it, both of them waiting nervously for whatever the creature is to appear.

What appeared was a normal Dimenian, exactly the same as the numerous ones that Armos and Kemero had fought.

_This is the thing that talked…?_ Armos and Kemero both thought, their stress lightening, though not much.

Suddenly, with multiplied power and agility, the monster went after Armos, whom barely ducked below the slice of a claw. _Crud, this is no ordinary monster…_ Armos thought, pressing the button on both of his swords and releasing the long blue photon blades.

The Dimenian rammed into Armos quickly, throwing him against the wall, the force so strong that Armos dropped his blades with the collision. Kemero cursed as he saw this and grabbed his large gun, starting it up. Suddenly, a beeping noise emitted from it, and the ranger read a notice on the side, "Out of photon conversion power."

Armos was beginning to slide down the wall when the Dimenian forced a claw through his collar right next to the vulnerable flesh of Armos' neck, and forced Armos to stay against the wall. 

Armos looked at the grotesque face of the Dimenian, and a sudden image passed through his mind like a bullet. He suddenly felt cold sweat roll down his face despite the blazing hot claw right next to him…

"…McKay?" he asked, his eyes wide. Kemero dropped his Varista upon hearing Armos, shocked. "What…happened?"

"I sought revenge on you…and I gained this power in the process…from an ultimate being," McKay said. Armos stopped trying to get out of the grip of the Dimenian, all feeling gone from him.

"…Revenge? McKay, you didn't have to do this…" Armos whispered. The face of the Dimenian came closer; the two were only inches apart from each other.

"You ruined my life, and revenge was the only that I could think of…now I'm going to take yours!" The free claw was lifted, and Armos began to struggle again. Suddenly, three bullets were shot in the back of McKay, and the Dimenian roared in pain, sounding more like a Dimenian than like McKay. It turned around, slicing down the side of Armos in the process, though he let go of the collar.

Grunting, Armos fell down, and muttered a quick Resta to heal the wound. He stood up weakly, grabbing his blades while McKay was distracted, blocking bullets from Kemero with his photon claws. It dodged a couple bullets and charged at Kemero with the same inhuman speed that Armos has. It knocked the ranger over, the collision of the floor knocking him out.

Armos was left alone with McKay, his weakened state giving him a serious disadvantage. The Dimenian turned around, and there was an air of silence before sound.

"You think you can win?" the Dimenian asked, stepping forward. Armos shook his head, and despite his situation, smirked.

"Nah, but I'm going to try," he replied, lifting his blades, ready to fight. Armos thought he heard a chuckle when the Dimenian charged at him. The hunter, prepared for this, stepped away and made a thrust with his blade. However, with his lack of speed, McKay was able to black it. The two exchanged tough blows, the Dimenian's getting stronger with every thrust while Armos felt his get weaker and slower.

McKay clashed his claws with Armos' sword, and the growing strength of the Dimenian brought Armos down to one knee, still struggling to keep the claw from slicing his head off. With a last burst of strength, Armos directed the weapons to his right, and quickly rolled away to the left, making McKay stagger.

_I can't beat him if he is so focused on me…I need to somehow make him lose concentration so I can use my mag without him stopping me…I'm too vulnerable when I use Kama's photon blast,_ Armos thought, standing up as McKay charged again. Armos ducked under a slice, and backed away from a thrust of a claw. As McKay sent blows towards Armos, the general merely dodged them, refusing to use his weapon as he thought of a plan.

_He wants revenge…if he thinks he has it…then perhaps he'll lose his concentration…_ he thought. Armos gripped his blade, knowing it would risky what he had in mind due to his loss of photon and energy. The hunter finally lifted his blade as he blocked a blow, smirking, which only made McKay angrier.

"I'll wipe that smirk off of your face!" it yelled in its disgusting voice, and feigned a blow, but instead spun around and stabbed Armos in the back. The claw protruded from his stomach, covered in pure red blood. "Who's laughing now?"

"…I am," Armos said, and clapped his hands together. "Kama!" A sudden burst of photon surrounded Armos, recovering his wounds instantly with the rainbow photon power that Kama produced.

Kama disappeared, and above both Armos and McKay was a whole new creature.

"This is Pilla, the final form of Kama," Armos said, smirking as he pulled himself out of the claw, and there was no wound to show it ever happened. Pilla was a huge creature, with strange symbols all over its basic figure. It almost had a human shape, except it had a huge fin instead of legs, and the head had an intricately designed helmet on. Its arms turned into long spears, and the creature flew straight into the air.

A few moments of silence passed, with McKay in pure fear while Armos was in deep concentration, using the last reserves of his energy to help Kama power its attack, considering it took too much photon for only one of them.

Pilla suddenly appeared again, flying straight down with giant blue beams following it. The creature collided with McKay, and the huge blue beams followed not even a second later. The whole room turned pure white with the explosion, and then became dark.

Armos opened his eyes, weak, yet victorious. He looked at where McKay was, which only a pile of photon and blood was now. There wasn't even a scream to accompany McKay's death.

"Good job, Kama," Armos said, falling on his knees. He clutched his chest, gasping harshly at the loss of photon. "Don't worry, Kama…I just need to rest…" Armos fell down, unconscious, just as Kemero awoke from his.

The ranger looked about himself, noticing McKay had disappeared.

"Armos must've beaten him," Kemero said, smiling. Then, he spotted Armos on the flow, breathing harshly despite his unconscious state. "Armos!" Kemero dashed to his partner's side, rolling him over and checking his heart beat. It was beating extremely fast, and unevenly, as it was working too hard from the loss of photon, which is as essential to Regallions as oxygen is to humans.

"Armos, you need to stop almost killing yourself…" Kemero muttered, and sat down. "I guess I should wait for you since I see no wounds on you."

An hour had passed, and Kemero had set up camp, grabbing food from his bag and popping some in his mouth. He had dragged Armos into his tent to let the hunter rest, which brought him memories of when he had to drag Armos out of a room in the mine when he was hit with a dart.

Kama was with Asparus, and the two were at Armos' side, both beeping softly at each other.

_If McKay turned into a Dimenian…is every other monster a Dimenian as well?_ Kemero thought, grief shooting through him in that realization. _So we've killed hundreds of monsters who used to be people?_

Kemero looked to his right at Armos, whose breathing had evened out over the past hour.

_If we die here…will we turn into monsters?_ Kemero continued to wonder, scaring himself in the process. Kama began to suddenly beep loudly, whizzing around in circles above Armos. The ranger looked in confusion, but his unsaid question was finally answered when he saw Armos sit up, rubbing his head.

"Armos!" Kemero shouted, walking quickly over to Armos' side.

"Hey…we beat McKay right?" he asked, looking up at his partner. Kemero nodded, and sat down next to his friend. Armos could tell he was confused on how Armos could've been in that state when he had no wounds, so he began to explain. "I used my mag on McKay, and in doing so, lost most of my photon…photon is essential to my people like oxygen is essential for you…so I had to shut down for awhile and use my last reserves of photon to keep me alive."

Kemero nodded after awhile, and handed the hunter his bag of food. Thanking him, Armos took it and put some food in his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully.

"Hey Armos…you know how McKay was a Dimenian, right? Well, does that mean all of the other monsters here used to be people too?" Kemero asked. Armos stopped chewing, and swallowed his food, thinking.

"Yeah, it's true…but all of these people have been mutated so much that they don't even know they were people before…" Armos replied. Kemero became shocked, looking down at his hands on his lap, clenching and unclenching nervously.

"How do you know that?" Kemero asked, his voice becoming more hushed.

"As I look at the Dimenians, and then I look at other Dimenians, I notice that the normal Dimenians lose their skill as a human over time as well as their ability to talk…but McKay must've turned into one so recently that he still retained these things," Armos explained, looking straight at the crystal in the room that he noticed when he first entered. He read it, and froze.

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Mr.Who2123: Don't you just love me right now?

Armos: Oh my gosh, I own at fighting!

Kemero: And you almost always die when fighting, too… (Snickers)

Armos: (Pulls out Last Survivor) Care to repeat that?

Kemero: Uh…please review?

Armos: That's what I thought.

Mr.Who2123: (Smacks face) …


	36. Bond of Peace

Mr.Who2123: Mwahaha! I am the master of cliffhanger and you guys all know that!

Armos: Weirdo…

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 does not own PSO.

Mr.Who2123: (Mumbles) No one listens to me anymore…

Armos: What did you say?

Mr.Who2123: …Just start.

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The Sage and his brother, the doctor, were looking over the body of a barely living Dimenian in Skervari's lab. It struggled weakly to lift its claws and kill the two, but it was too weak.

"Let's give it some pure photon to see if it will heal," the doctor said after a moment of writing notes. The Sage put his hand on the glass covering, and let photon through it, and to the Dimenian. Skervari widened his eyes as he noticed the results, while the Sage was a little confused at the expression.

"What is it?" the Sage asked, looking to his younger brother.

"These Dimenians…they absorb photon at an incredible rate! This…This is the cause of the sudden drop of photon!" the doctor exclaimed. He ran to his desk, scribbling something down, while it was the Sage's turn to be shocked.

"Does that mean that…" the old man began, turning around.

"…We can settle our feud with the rebels!" the doctor said, finishing his writing and then walked out with the paper. A moment later he was back, the paper gone from his hands. "It was to request a meeting with the rebels." The doctor had explained, replying to the Sage's confused face.

"My, things are starting to look up," the Sage said, and began walking out. "Thanks Skervari." The man nodded, smiling at where the Sage had disappeared through the door.

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Corneo Clemson was the leader of the rebels, a stout, stubborn man with a brown, thick mustache and green eyes that showed both sincerity and harsh scrutiny in them. He wore a simple robe of dark blue, embroidered with the symbol of the rebels on the front. Corneo sat at a long table, stroking his mustache while waiting for his guest.

The Sage appeared in his formal robe as well, surrounded by three of his guards as well as two more of the rebel guards to watch over the actions of the old man.

"Welcome, Sage Geffen," the leader of the rebels remarked, holding his hand out. The Sage shook, smiling and nodding. The leaders both sat down, as well as one of the Sage's guards, which happened to be General Raiden, dressed in formal attire as well, though it was not a robe, but merely decorative armor.

"This is my general, Raiden, and I ask permission for him to be part of the meeting, sir," the Sage asked, making a gesture towards Raiden, who reddened at the compliment of being called a general. He was still not used to the fame and status he held in Armos and Kemero's absence.

"Of course, of course. Now, let's begin," Corneo said, and folded his hands on the table.

"Well, as you have heard in the note we sent via online, we have discovered the recent loss of photon for the last couple decades," the Sage began, and pulled out a folder from a small pack that he had. He passed the folder across the table to the rebel leader, and he opened it up, looking over the contents.

"We have discovered that the Dimenians suck photon from the air at an incredible pace. Now, you know of the events of when Armos Wreathen was found, correct?" the Sage began to explain. Corneo and Raiden had full attention, as neither of them knew the details of the discovery. "Since that boy was found, there had been a fifty percent increase of Dimenians appearing, correct?"

Corneo, after looking at graphs of when Armos was found, nodded, confirming it true.

"Since then, there has been a fifty percent decrease of photon, correct?" There was another nod, the two's cogs beginning to turn.

"So…if the Dimenians are the cause, then why should we fight?" the Sage finished, folding his hands, and waiting impatiently for a response. There was a long silence before the rebel leader looked up.

"…Well, I guess there's no need for violence anymore…alright, from this day forward, we are no longer rebels, but allies of Corgrassa," Corneo said, and he shook hands with the euphoric Sage.

"Thank you, sir," the Sage exclaimed, finally letting go after a hearty hand shake and sitting back down. The general did the same, voicing 'thank you' as well with a more quieted tone.

"Thank you sirs as well…but I have a favor to ask of you," the leader of the former rebels said. After hearing an 'anything' from the Sage, he continued. "I would like to move my people to the city, if that is alright with you." The Sage nodded immediately, and began details of moving people in Corgrassa.

"We'll start them with makeshift homes, but real ones will be made in the next couple of weeks for your people. Would you like a position in the top five leaders of Corgrassa, the next highest honor besides being leader?" he asked, sounding hasty due to his great excitement. Corneo nodded, and began to write a planner of the movement, recording materials and important facts.

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"Everyone!" the Sage yelled out to the whole city, excluding the former rebels whom were supposed to come today. In fact, the message was about the people moving in, and because it affected everyone in the city, everyone was there to hear what their leader had to say. "Today, we are hosting a huge party in celebration of the treaty between the former rebels and us. We will host it in the public city building, next to the government tower. Thank you, that is all."

The old man jumped off of the stage, the same one which he had held a ceremony for the dead soldiers, but now it war for announcing a great thing. General Raiden was behind the Sage, eyeing everyone that came close to the old man; it was his duty to protect him from anyone and everyone.

Only a couple hours later, the sound of thousands of cars were heard from the east gate of the city. The Sage was waiting there for the people to arrive, and upon hearing this euphonious sound, signaled for some guards to lead them to their makeshift homes, which were in the very west of the city. The Sage could also see the faint outline of the former rebel leader talking to the guard, and then being led by the guard, whom moved into one of the cars of the city and led them across the large city.

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The Sage and General Raiden made sure not to take out any alcoholic beverages, remembering Kemero at some parties and making quite a scene. The old man was at the door, shaking hands with every person that came in, welcoming them and letting them in graciously. When he met Corneo, he thanked him graciously once more for the easy agreement, and let him in.

General Raiden walked about, getting many compliments on the past war tactics, which usually resulted in Raiden modestly thanking them. He walked around a bit more and noticed Andre's brother talking with fellow soldiers about how he fought along side the general.

"He was so strong, too. He killed off Dimenians like that!" and he snapped to show emphasis.

"Thanks for the compliment," Raiden said, smiling as he put a hand on the brother's shoulder. "Excuse me for asking, but I'd like to know your name." It grew silent among the members, marveling at the general and his politeness.

"Yes sir, my name is Rece…Rece Marino," he said, making a salute at his general.

"At ease Rece, this is a party. Treat me like a friend," Raiden said, chuckling at the formal behavior. "You know, you weren't too bad yourself. I saw you take down a couple Dimenians." Raiden may have modest, but Rece was at least ten times more.

"Uh…thank…thank you sir...," he replied, a smile coming onto his face. The soldiers and Raiden continued to talk throughout the party, talking of fun, romantic, and even sad moments. There was definitely jubilance about them, their cares out the window.

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_When the planet moves about the great star fifty times, death is assured to all on it. _

_IDOLA, the holy shall cleanse the planet, giving pure holiness in the darkest hour._

_Heroes shall arise, unknown to the planet, but their strength shall fail._

_Native one shall bring about the holiest hour, to save or destroy is their will._

_Pray, for IDOLA shall come._

What in the heck does that mean? Armos thought over the words he read, unsure of what to make of it.

_Planet around great star…I think that resembles fifty years…unknown to planet…that means Kemero and his people…cleanse planet…I don't like the sound of IDOLA…Native one…who could that be? _His mind continued working over the strange inscription on the monument, his mind working over the strange details of it.

"Hey Armos, let's get going," Kemero said, shaking the hunter out of his confused and pensive state.

"Oh yeah, sorry I just blanked out a bit," Armos replied, making an apologetic grin. The two packed their tents into their pill-type containers, and shouldered their packs with ease. The two didn't look back as they began walking for the next room. One was confident that they could complete this investigation, the other unsure of what to make of anything anymore.

Through the door was a long hallway, the mist stronger than any room they've seen before. Slowing to a cautious treading, the two generals walked closely together, even a few feet of distance made them invisible to each other. Red lights shone brightly on the sides, making the thick mist look like blood is in the air.

Kemero gulped at the sight, imagining how there could have easily been this much blood lost in all the fights Armos and Kemero had gotten into.

Finally, the two had finally reached the door, and holding their breath, the two entered it, expecting to see another big room. However, it was tiny and square, and the two had seen this door only once before.

"The portal to Ruin three!" Kemero exclaimed, seeing the familiar redness of the portal. The lines moved down, signaling that they were going to go even deeper than ever.

"Wow…we're almost done," Armos said, putting his hand on his chin. "C'mon, let's get this investigation over with." One eager and one reluctant, they entered the portal, waiting for it to carry them even deeper.

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Mr.Who2123: Hehehe…another cliffhanger.

Armos: You need to stop those…

Mr.Who2123: NEVER! (Disappears like a ninja)

Kemero: Review please!

Armos: …


	37. The Land Alive

Mr.Who2123: …FOUR MORE CHAPTERS!!! (Not including this one.)

Armos: Keep writing!

Mr.Who2123: I am!

Kemero: She does not own PSO.

Armos: Keep writing!

Mr.Who2123: I am!

Armos: Keep writing- (Mr.Who2123 knocks out Armos)

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Armos and Kemero opened their eyes, and were surprised to see such a difference form the dark and misty area. It was still dark, though much less than the previous levels, yet it had no lights at all. Even though it was lighter, the third level was extremely mysterious, and provided a more unnerving air than ever before. It was probably due to the fact that everything could be seen again.

The floor was glass, clearer than anything the two had seen before. And below it was something that made Armos and Kemero gulp in fear. It was an organ, just like the kid in Armos and Kemero's bodies. It looked like a heart, as it moved in the rhythm of one, grotesque and mysterious. It was inside a light pink substance, guessed to be some sort of blood.

The walls were curved and a light red, matching the fluid below the two's feet. Nicks and cuts covered these walls, though the reason for them is unknown. On the very top of the walls were strange circular organs protruding. They moved with the organ, exuding a strange, purple fume every time they moved.

Dimly, and only if there was complete silence, which there was, a soft thumping was heard, in cadence with the moving organ.

"…Is this ruin…alive?" Kemero asked, though it was a mere whisper. Armos looked to Kemero, unsure and in fear.

"This is disgusting…we're in a living thing…" Armos added his voice hoarse in his confusion.

"…Let's go…the faster we finish investigating, the faster we get to leave this place," Kemero said, and started for the door, which was made of the same material as the walls. Armos nodded, following quickly behind the ranger.

After passing a short hallway, the generals were confronted with a moderate room of a square shape. Due to the lightness of this level of the ruin, it was easy to see black twinkling lights gather in tiny circles, signaling the generals to get ready for a fight.

The energy surged in extremely tiny circles, and the two expected to see claws, as they were the only thing that would be as small as those. However, they were very different creatures. There were four small, metallic looking spiders with no head, and were at the height of Kemero's knees, and had the length of an arm.

Suddenly, they lifted in the air, about five inches, and began moving at fast paces while in the air. The two generals looked about themselves as they spread to the four corners of the room. They came in contact with the floor once more, and they didn't move.

"What the…" Armos began, until four glowing balls of photon came out of the top of the spiders. They were connected with a very thin metal pipe, which was much smaller than the green photon itself. Suddenly, energy gathered in those photon balls, and four beams were shot across the room. Thinking quickly, Armos pulled himself and Kemero down, letting the blasts barely miss.

"These are strange creatures…" Armos commented. The spiders let the photon balls move inside the bodies once more, and the generals were at ease. "…But they'll be a piece of cake."

"I bet you just jinxed us right there," Kemero muttered, smirking. Suddenly, a sharp pain came into both Kemero and Armos' backs, and the two noticed quickly that the spiders had shot at them, this time successfully hitting. They fell on one knee, both of them clutching their bleeding backs.

"See?" Kemero said, sighing. Armos didn't say anything besides a quick Resta to heal the wounds. Standing once more, the generals noticed the spiders began to move again, moving at an almost too quick to see rate.

"Hey Armos…" Kemero began, waiting for the gunner spiders to start their shooting. "Do you think I could do this alone?"

Armos stopped and looked at his partner for enlightenment.

"I just want to see if I can fight by myself," he explained quickly. Just after he spoke, beams were shot, and Kemero rolled out of the way while Armos did the same, except for the door they had entered through.

"Alright, don't die," Armos said, now through the door, and in the hallway. It closed behind him, leaving Kemero to fight for himself. Smirking, he lifted up his Varista, ready to test his skill.

The gunners shot another round of blasts, and Kemero rolled to the left, dodging all of them. He began shooting the gunners, but their armor was too strong, and their photon blasters were already inside of them.

_How am I supposed to kill them if they don't even get hurt from my gun?_ He wondered, waiting. The gunners kept moving with their pattern, moving to corners of the room and blasting twice. Kemero shot a gunner before it was about to shoot its own blast and it directly hit the green, glowing photon. It coiled, backing even further into the corner, and Kemero smirked.

_Hit their little blasters…_ he muttered in his thoughts. _But I can only take one at a time…and I can't keep track of the one I shoot…they move too fast._

His mind working over the details of battle, Kemero continued to dodge the blasts, becoming tired of the monotonous pattern. Suddenly, he caught sight of a red photon blast rather than a green one. Targeting it, Kemero shot it quickly before it could shoot a blast. He looked about himself, and noticed every other gunner was in the same coils s the red one.

_So the red controls the rest…_ he smirked, and waited for it to begin moving again. When it did, however, the red turned into green, and it was a normal gunner.

"Crap…" he muttered, looking about for it. In his search, Kemero forgot to duck under the blows, and got hit by all for blasts in the stomach. Yelling a curse, Kemero fell to one knee, clutching the reddening wound. He found the red gunner, and shot it down with three quick bullets, and it died, falling to its side and turning into a pile of photon and purple blood.

_Three more…I can do this…_ Kemero thought, preparing for the gunners to move. They did as he expected, and with only three, Kemero sniped down the second red gunner. _HA! Who's a better guns man now?_

Smirking, Kemero pulled out his giant gun, fully loaded after he placed some special ammo in it during the break before entering Ruin 3. Wincing at the pain of his stomach, however, Kemero staggered a moment before he shot a gunner which was perfectly open. He was forced to roll out of the way of two gun shots before he could shoot a huge blast of a bullet at the gunner.

He did so successfully, blowing it to smithereens in an instant. _Love this gun,_ he thought before shooting down the next gunner. Silently cheering for himself, Kemero walked through the door Armos had, and showed him the empty room.

"Nice job," Armos said after a moment, giving an approving nod. He noticed the wounds and quickly healed the wound with a word from his mouth and the flick of his hand. "Were they hard?" Kemero smirked, looking back through the open door at the battle ground, enjoying his victory.

"Not really, just really annoying," he replied, and stepped through the door and the room into the next one, a smile still on his face.

"I bet I could beat you at fighting now," he blurted after awhile of silence as they walked into a new empty room.

"Are you on drugs? You think you can beat me?" Armos asked, folding his arms and giving the ranger a shake of his golden head.

"Yeah…I just want to spar real quickly," Kemero replied, pulling out his Varista. Armos laughed and pulled out his giant, metal blade.

"You, my friend, are making a huge mistake," he remarked before he began to dash at Kemero, his sword raised.

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_Dear Journal,_

_Never fight Armos unless you are an idiotic psychopath. Trust me; you'll have fifty cuts all over you before you can lift a finger. I'm still pretty sore, but I'm happy with my results. I got a total of five bullets in him. _

_Anyways, besides the one-sided match, I had a great day. I was able to kill these spider things all by myself! They were a new monster, and I wanted to test my strength, so I told Armos I was to fight alone. He complied, and I owned those gunners easily…kind of. I got a couple wounds, but Armos was able to cure them after, so it's no big deal._

_Guess what?! We are in the last section of the ruin! We're almost done with this horrid place! It's the grossest section of the ruin too. It looks like it's alive, with organs beneath glass and everything. I get really freaked out when I look at the floor. If you are ever psycho enough to go into the ruin, don't ever look at the floor, just look straight ahead._

_Well, I'm dead tired. Good night._

_Kemero_

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_Journal,_

_I continue to think over strange things as I go deeper and deeper into this hellhole. I have found a monument that has a strange inscription. It says that every fifty years, everyone will die…I think that is explaining that the Dimenians come around every fifty years or so…_

_It also says 'those unknown will be heroes' or something to the likes of that. It's talking about Kemero's people. It also says that someone indigenous to this planet will choose salvation or hell to what he or she pleases. And then it says that IDOLA is coming._

_What is IDOLA? I shudder to think of the possibilities._

_Good night._

_Armos_

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Mr.Who2123: Third update today! Man, I'm nuts…

Armos: …You just realized that now?

Mr.Who2123: …

Kemero: Please review!


	38. The Cause of Dimenians

Mr.Who2123: AHH!! So close to end!

Armos: Stop freaking out…

Mr.Who2123: I don't know how!

Armos: …

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 does not own anything related to PSO.

Mr.Who2123: BEGIN!!

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Kemero woke up to the methodical thumping of the ruin's heartbeat, almost thinking it was his own until he properly remembered where he was. Slowly, he lifted himself up to a sitting position, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his gloved hand. Looking about himself, Kemero noticed that Armos' tent was already gone, and the hunter was nowhere in sight.

Kemero walked out of his own tent, yawning. Still half asleep, the ranger looked about the grotesque room, trying to find a trace of his fellow general.

_Where is he?_ Kemero wondered, looking about the room. Suddenly, he caught a trace of the teal uniform of Armos, and the ranger found the hunter sitting down on the floor all the way across the room. He was facing towards a shining crystal thing, gazing at it with much concentration.

Kemero brought himself next to the hunter, sitting in the same fashion as his partner, with his knees bent and his arms wrapped around them.

"Hey Armos," Kemero said, breaking the odd silence between them. The hunter, who didn't even notice Kemero, jumped at the sudden sound.

"…Hey," the hunter replied, breaking out of his gaze. To Kemero, Armos looked tired, there were rings under his dark eyes, and his figure drooped slightly.

"How long have you been up?" the ranger asked, giving a friendly smile. Armos shook his head, reclining it to see the top of the crystal and then looking back at his partner.

"I think I've been here all night," the hunter replied, running his gloved hand through his messy, golden hair. Kemero sighed at the pensive behavior of his fellow general.

"Doing what?"

"…Just thinking of what's going to happen when we reach the end of this cursed place," the hunter replied. He stood up, his arms folded and his face still in a glazed, thoughtful expression.

"Well, we just have to keep going, I guess," Kemero stated, giving a reassuring smile. Armos shook his head, however, at this statement.

"I scheduled a long talk with the Sage…it's just to catch up and talk about the past few events," Armos replied, lifting his communicator. "The Principal and temporary general are going to talk too." Kemero nodded instantly, the thought of talking with his old friend sounding like a pure delight.

Suddenly, the sound of papers ruffling filled the room. Armos took out his communicator, understanding that it was the source of the noise.

"Hey, old man. How are you?" Armos said, smiling as he talked. The ruffling paper noise ended, and then there was a sudden, loud 'thump.' There was a moment of silence before the sound of a muttering old man.

"…Sorry about that, dropped the darned thing," the Sage said through the communicator. "I can't believe that I'm relieved to hear the word 'old man' again. I feel so formal when people call me 'Sage' or 'Master Sage', or whatever people call me these days.

"Just stating the truth with that statement. Anyways, how was that war? I've been wondering if you actually managed to win," Armos asked.

"We won, and I'm surprised that we managed to do it. It was definitely a close battle. There have been a lot of casualties," the Sage replied, his voice expressing both sadness and happiness in it.

"Wow, you must have been lucky…anything else to report?" Armos continued. The Sage hesitated a moment, thinking of proper diction he could use to say his statement.

"We have ended the long time feud with the rebels," the Sage finally said. Armos smirked at the good news while Kemero smiled wide as well.

"Great! How did you do it?" Kemero asked behind his fellow general.

"We discovered the loss of photon, which is Dimenians use almost ten times as much photon as we do. When you were found, Armos, more started appearing, and the more that appeared, the lower the photon rate was. It was mere coincidence that we discovered photon weapons the same month that Dimenians started appearing," the Sage explained. When there was no response, the old man continued. "So how about you? How close are you to the end?" Kemero was quick to reply, excited that they were so close to the end.

"We're at the lowest level of the ruin, so we're only a day or two away from the end!" he exclaimed, now right beside his fellow general. There was a chuckling heard from behind the communicator.

"That's great! Now Armos and Kemero, I have a guest for you right now," the Sage suddenly said. The sound of a door closing in the distance was heard, and then footsteps coming closer.

"Hello, generals Armos and Kemero. It's a great honor to finally speak with you," the voice said. Kemero almost laughed at such formal behavior, but kept it in to show respect.

_What a naïve person,_ Armos thought as well, smirking.

"It's great to hear from you too. I presume you are the temporary general of my army?" Armos asked.

"Yes sir, I am Raiden. How is your investigation?" the general asked back.

"Strange and difficult, that's basically the whole of it right there," he said, and chuckled. "How are you? Are you taking care of my army?" Armos said, half jokingly, but the modest general took it as a completely serious one.

"Y-Yes sir, of course! I'm fine," he stuttered back. Kemero and the Sage chuckled at the nervous answer while Armos smirked.

"Oh, Kemero, there's someone who wants to talk to you," the Sage abruptly said. The temporary generals and the permanent ones said their good byes and their good lucks when the door was heard again.

"How's my old friend?" a new voice said.

"Principal!" Kemero exclaimed. He took the communicator from his fellow general, excited to talk with him. "How are you?"

"Work is grueling. We have to make a lot of tough decisions. They are almost ten times harder than the ones I had to make on our old planet," the former leader replied. Kemero nodded, understanding how different it was on Earth.

"Yeah, sometimes I miss our old planet," Kemero replied, sympathetic to his friend. "Well, maybe we can get together after I finish this investigation." The Principal nodded, and said he had to leave for a special conference.

"He works harder than I do," the Sage said, laughing at his old joke. "When you guys come back, it'll be much less busy for him."

"Thanks, old man," Armos said, beginning to end the conference. The old man gave a 'your welcome' and then there was a moment of silence.

"I'll see you later," Armos said.

"Do your best," the old man replied.

"We will, thanks," Kemero thanked him. Armos turned off the communicator, and the cadence of the beating ruin came into their ears, reminding them that they have a job to do.

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The generals had become much more solemn since their conference, each of them wishing they were back at home. They had passed through five more rooms, encountering old enemies. There had only been one exciting battle when a delsaber appeared, but because of the two general's experience, it was not as much of a challenge as before.

After their most recent battle, the two generals entered through the next door. When opened, they found a hallway, twice as long as any they had seen before. It stretched at least as far as the room with the centaur in it, if not, even farther.

"Again, I don't understand why there are such huge hallways and numerous rooms…there's no point in them…" Kemero muttered, beginning to walk. Armos merely shrugged. His mind, however, was on the strange increase of heartbeats from the ruin. It rang in his ears, mixing with his own fearful beat.

Minutes passed by, with Kemero indifferent and Armos scared of what was through the next door. When they finally reached the organic door, they came into a long room, though it wasn't exceeding in its length. In the middle was another crystal monument.

Because the Regallion felt no photon gathering, he didn't bother to pull out his weapon, and instead began reading.

_When the planet revolves around the great star fifty times, embodiments of evil appear._

_With corrupt minds and no hopes, they terrorize those who they please._

_Led by the holy IDOLA, god of destruction, they move to fulfill their destiny._

_Two forces, unlike each other, come together, and try to stop the death._

_However, their living hopes end, though their sacrifice is not in vain._

_Pray, for IDOLA the holy comes, behind the embodiments of evil._

Armos couldn't believe his eyes. IDOLA was the god of destruction, causing all the Dimenians to appear. He shook, his mind racing and his heart pumping extremely fast. Slowly, he fell to one knee, clutching his stomach.

_That was it…IDOLA is what was in that wall…that giant Dimenian…it's coming for me…_ he thought, his eyes widened, though they saw nothing.

"Armos!" Kemero yelled, shaking the unstable general. Slowly, the shaking stopped, the eyes began to see, and his mind calmed from the noise and movement.

"Kemero…we are about to go against the god of destruction…this thing is the source of all Dimenians…," he whispered hoarsely. Kemero stared wide eyed at his partner, not understanding how he could suddenly know this. There was a deadly silence between the two.

"Kemero…look to your right," Armos whispered again. Scared, Kemero did so, and saw something he did not expect.

"That's…," Kemero trailed off, looking at the designs on it. For there on the right, was the wall Armos had remembered, exactly as the hunter had remembered it.

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Mr.Who2123: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! OH MY GOSH!

Armos: Keep writing!

Mr.Who2123: I will…man, I am so into cliffhangers…and is it me or did you get goose bumps with the last section of the chapter?

Kemero: I got them.

Armos: Me too…I want to know what is on that wall!

Mr.Who2123: Well, please review!


	39. Against All Odds

Mr.Who2123: Wow…now it's time for a full, two chapter long battle!

Armos: You totally screwed up the end…

Mr.Who2123: …Crap…

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 does not own anything associated with PSO.

Armos: Let's start…

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There are times when all that you know, all of your understanding of life, it just gets thrown out the window. In those times, the only thing you can rely on is your human instincts. Kemero was forced to rely on those very instincts upon seeing the wall.

It was a simply designed picture, but it contained incredible detail. There was a picture of Armos, dressed exactly as he was now, in his teal uniform, and with his golden hair and dark eyes looking down, wide. A Dimenian was in front of the picture of Armos, its claw raised above him. There was a floor of skulls below them, and a tall pillar in the back round.

But what truly scared Kemero was that there was a picture of himself, right behind Armos, tears coming down his face. Kemero stepped towards the picture, his heart racing, and inspected the Armos more carefully. Very slightly, there was a smile on his lips.

"Armos…" Kemero muttered, looking back at his partner, whom had slowly risen to his feet, still looking down.

"You probably don't understand why I'm so scared…but…," he trailed off. Armos' voice was shaky, and he hesitated constantly. He was like an explosive, ready to blow any minute with the wrong fuse.

"It's alright…we're almost done with the ruin…let's keep going," Kemero said, placing a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. There was no reaction to the touch, but he slowly lifted his haunted eyes.

"Yes…let's keep…going," he repeated slowly. Kemero felt he was dealing with a whole new person; a weak and confused one. Kemero walked to the other side of the room, and waited for his friend to follow. Armos did, but slowly, as if the life was gone from him. Kemero sighed as he watched Armos pass through the door, and followed him.

Through that door was another portal, larger than usual. It was red and led down, just like the others, and Kemero looked to Armos for enlightenment.

"There's another level?" Kemero asked, taking a step. Armos looked up, and slowly nodded.

"Yeah…there is…and it leads…to the god of destruction," the hunter said slowly, walking towards it. "Let's get it over with." Kemero reluctantly followed him, entering the huge, rectangular portal.

The ranger and hunter let themselves get transported even further inside the ruin, anxious of what could lie ahead.

When Kemero opened his eyes after the portal had ended, he thought he was dreaming. There, right in front of him, was a giant field of grass, stretching as far as the eye can see. To the left was a patch of flowers with some small, rectangular stones laid in order. Slowly, Kemero walked towards the left, and after a couple minutes of solitary moving, he found that those stones were actually gravestones.

What also amazed Kemero was that he felt a gentle breeze come across his face, something he hadn't felt in a long time. Looking up, Kemero saw a sun, shining brightly, high above them, and clouds to accompany that sun.

"Did we get transported out?" Kemero asked Armos, who hadn't moved until he heard the sound of Kemero's voice. He took a couple steps, looked up, and shook his head.

"What's the floor?" he asked. Kemero looked to him strangely, and looked down.

"Grass," he replied. Armos shook his head, smirking.

"…Grass…," was the only reply, and the hunter began his way to the right side of the large field. There in the field was a giant pillar, reaching almost to the clouds with its height. It was thin, too, and was rectangular until it was at the top, where it turned in to form a point on the end. The pillar was blue, and had many cracks all over it.

Kemero followed him reluctantly, catching up to him at eh base of the pillar. There was a small set of stairs that led to the pillar itself, and Armos told his partner to wait at the base. By himself, Armos walked up the stone steps, which resounded across the whole field.

The ranger noticed the fear and slowness had disappeared from the hunter, he moved swiftly, and his head was high in the air. When he reached the top, he hesitated a bit, looking down. The hesitation quickly ended, however, and the hunter approached the pillar. Slowly, he placed a gloved hand on it, and held it there.

Nothing happened at first, but suddenly there was a crack of thunder. Kemero looked around wildly, seeing thunder was coming down in the darkening sky.

"Armos!" Kemero called, stepping back as the thunder hit the tip of the pillar. "C'mon!"

Armos complied slowly, finally taking his hand off of the pillar, and swiftly walking down the stairs. Just as he made it to the bottom of the steps, there was another strike of lightning that hit the tip of the pillar. Suddenly, the pillar began falling apart, with cracks forming all over the top.

"It's coming…Dark Falz is coming," Armos muttered, looking up as the tip fell off. There was a flash of blinding white light, and Kemero looked down. He saw a floor of skulls below him, all facing toward him. He looked up at the black sky, yearning for that blissful heaven that he saw only a few minutes ago.

"Dark Falz?" Kemero finally replied to Armos' mutterings, and the hunter nodded.

"The god of Destruction…I just remembered its real name…Dark Falz," he replied, oddly calm, while Kemero was about to burst with fear and confusion.

The pillar was destroyed completely by one last flash of lightning, and suddenly, the whole room shook with immense power. Kemero fell over while Armos had some difficulty staying on his feet, though he did it successfully. The thunder abated immediately and abruptly, and the quakes began to die down as well. Kemero, on his stomach, shifted himself into a sitting position.

Armos placed a hand on Kemero's shoulder, but there was no sign that the ranger reacted due to the craziness of the past few minutes.

"Kemero, don't make any sudden movements," Armos whispered softly. Kemero finally turned to look at his partner, confused, and hesitantly got up, complying with his fellow general. The ranger noticed Armos' eyes were on something behind him, and following those eyes in curiosity, Kemero turned around.

There, right in front of them, was a giant head of what looked like a dragon. Thick, green photon coursed through the head, and moved quickly. Then, Kemero slowly took in the whole creature. It was not a dragon completely, but there were three dragon heads, facing in three directions. It seemed that the heads hadn't noticed the two because they made no movements whatsoever, and Kemero made sure not to make noise as he moved slightly to a more comfortable position.

Connecting them all was a creature so grotesque and unusual looking that it is near impossible to describe. Kemero, however, could depict one thing: this was Dark Falz without a doubt. The dark god was as tall as the pillar, which was no longer standing. Everything was completely transformed since Armos placed his hand on the pillar. There was no grass, no blue sky, no peacefulness, just the dark, chaotic world around them currently.

"How do we kill it?" Kemero whispered to Armos, who seemed completely composed.

"Well, I'm pretty sure the three heads are merely an attachment…so if we can destroy all three of them, then we can get Dark Falz much easier," Armos replied. Kemero didn't know how Armos obtained that information, but shrugged, pulling out his giant gun.

In reaction to the loading of Kemero's gun, the heads seemed to feel the sudden threat, and they opened their eyes, revealing bright yellow dots as them. They immediately targeted Kemero, making motions to snap his head off, which would quite an easy thing for a monster of that size.

Armos and Kemero both rolled out of the way as the mouth came dangerously close to them, Kemero to the right and Armos to the left. Kemero turned around quickly, and charged his gun quickly and without any problems. Pulling the trigger, a huge blast was shot at the side of the head, creating a huge and purple dent in it.

Armos dodged a snap of the same monster's mouth, landing slices at wherever he could find time. It was merely a blur of time for Armos and Kemero, and soon, the single head was down, on its side, and drowning in its own mix of photon and blood.

_It's strange…these things are too easy, _Kemero and Armos both thought, moving to the next head with only an exchange of silent nods for confirmation. _And…why didn't the other heads attack while we were focused on it?_

For the next head, which was quite a walk away, Armos once again took his position with his two blades. Suddenly, he looked to Kemero.

"Fight the other one," he said, and began dodging the snap of a vicious jaw. Kemero nodded and dashed away. Armos gave a swift, yet strong slice to the monster's forehead, making a thick purple line appear. The monster began attacking faster in reaction to the pain, and managed to rip Armos' side. Grunting in pain, Armos put his twin blades away and took out his larger, metal one from his back.

He then blocked the direct attack of the sharp mouth with the brunt of his blade, and retaliated himself. However, the head moved out of the way too quickly, and Armos was forced to move back to the defensive. He continued to block, more careful since he was bitten, and managed to make a slice back at it.

This time, the blade made a deep gash on the monster's right eye causing its vision to waver. It was obvious that the slice affected monster's sight when it made wild lunges and missed Armos every time. Armos continued to block the wild attacks, waiting for a chance to attack like he always did. As he saw a perfect opportunity, he made a movement to attack, but his damaged side began to fill with pain, and the hunter hesitated, though just long enough for the monster to rip down his stomach with its sharp teeth.

Yelling in pain from the deep gash that ran from his neck to his lower stomach, Armos fell onto one knee, right below the head. The monster, seeing the opportunity, prepared to make one last lunge and kill Armos on the spot. It lifted its head, and move down to strike, a blur at which the speed it was moving.

That moving was stopped, as a sword had made its way through the mouth, coming from the bottom jaw, and sticking up through the top of its mouth. Armos was holding the handle, breathing heavily. The tip of its mouth was merely inches above his golden, dirtied hair, and the hunter fell back in exhaustion. Muttering a Resta, Armos slowly stood up once more, pulling his completely bloody blade from the monster's mouth.

Shakily, Armos sheathed his weapon, and made his way to the battle between Kemero and his adversary for the moment.

Kemero started the battle with a great advantage. He had created a good distance, and began shooting, not worrying of being hit at all. Then, after having most of his blows easily dodged, Kemero began to move closer, hoping the closer range would make it easier to land a hit. But, as he did so, the monster struck him in the side, causing Kemero to retreat once more.

Bereft of good ideas, the ranger began shooting again with his giant gun, but it was to no avail.

_What if I climbed onto the thing…then I could land great hits on it…but how do I get that close without getting killed?_ The ranger began thinking. There was a beeping noise above Kemero, and he noticed his mag close by. Then a great idea entered his mind at the moment.

Asparus approached the giant monster by itself, obtaining attention from the big monster head. It began snapping at the mag while Kemero approached from the other side, and made it successfully to it. Then, he jumped up on it quickly, and the monster head lost interest with Asparus, directing it to the intruder on his back. Kemero aimed his gun at the creature's forehead, but it began moving violently, trying to shake off Kemero. The ranger fell over, but his feet caught the ends of the stubs of ears, and Kemero was facing the monster's mouth, merely inches away.

It began snapping at the ranger, whom was losing grip with all the movement. Kemero began charging his gun, but his feet lost grip, and the ranger began sliding down. Just before he landed, Kemero shot a blast of his gun, the force knocking him back a couple feet away.

Wearily, the ranger sat up, and saw the head was completely blown away from the blast, and Kemero smiled.

_Well…that was a quick battle…,_ he thought, standing up. Just at the moment, Armos approached, looking victorious. The hunter quickly noticed Kemero's wounded side and healed it with the saying of Resta.

The two then looked up at the true face of Dark Falz, which was part of the giant creature that connected the three heads. With those head gone, however, Dark Falz began to shift, moving slowly away from the dead heads. Suddenly, the green photon that coursed through it turned crimson red, and instead of three heads as the base, Dark Falz floated, with a strange, morphing ball of energy at the base.

"This thing gets weirder and weirder by the minute," Kemero noted. Armos nodded, and pulled out his twin blades. "This thing doesn't really look like a god anyways."

There was no response, but Armos began to dash for the enemy, his blades raised. He began attacking the strange ball, slicing it lithely. Kemero also began to make a move towards Dark Falz, but the dark god sent a spell at him, which made him move slower due to red bands of magic that encircled his feet and made them feel like lead.

Brought to a halt, Kemero pulled out his Varista, and began shooting from afar at Dark Falz, his feet basically plastered to the floor. Armos noticed Dark Falz pointed a huge sword-arm at him, and magic encircled Armos' own feet. However, it was not a slowing technique, but a huge blast equivalent to Rafoie, and the blast knocked him over. Grunting in pain, he used Resta, and began to advance on Dark Falz again.

The spell on Kemero had abated, and the ranger began to advance on the stationary enemy as well. He landed ten bullets in the strange ball, and the dark god caught notice of the ranger. Quickly, it pointed its huge sword-like arm at him, and white energy encircled Kemero, who knew that it could only mean bad news for him. Suddenly, he was trapped inside a giant block of ice, completely frozen in his position.

Armos looked back and cursed inwardly. Quickly, he brought his attention on Dark Falz, raising his twin blades and attacking once more. As he did attack, the hunter realized that the previous gashes he had made disappeared. He stopped, wondering how he could possibly defeat this thing. Suddenly, a giant, circular and blue blast came from behind the hunter, and he rolled out of the way easily. Looking back, he saw Kemero, wet and looking tired. The blast went straight to the ball, making a huge gash and leaving a big, purple dent.

"Kemero, we have to kill it with one big blow!" Armos said running back to him. The ranger thought a bit, and nodded. Kama and Asparus both simultaneously made a beeping noise, and the two generals knew exactly what to do.

"Let's wipe it out with one blow," Kemero replied, smiling. He put away his giant gun and faced the dark god, and the hunter followed his act. Together, they focused their energy as their mags began to glow and rise above both of them.

Armos' Pilla and Kemero's Estlla, or better known as the shark, both appeared, their power immense. Pilla flew in the air while Estlla began charging to ram Dark Falz. When Pilla appeared once more, coming down from the sky, Estlla finished charging its power and flew for Dark Falz. The two mags collided with the dark god at the exact same time, shortly followed by Pilla's blue blasts, which made the explosion even larger.

Everything became pure white, impossible to see anything through it. Armos and Kemero were forced to cover their eyes with their arms when their mags attacked as dust flew everywhere and the impenetrable light could blind their eyes if they gave it a chance. It was silent in those moments after the attack, and the two generals anxiously waited to see their results.

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Mr.Who2123: Wow…sorry for the long span of no updates…got obsessed with Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for Wii. Unless you want to get addicted, don't get the game.

Armos: Wow…we're almost done with the story!

Mr.Who2123: Yeah…crud man…I'm going to miss this story…

Armos: Me too…

Kemero: Please review!

Mr.Who2123 and Armos: …


	40. The Final Battle

Mr.Who2123: Ah! ONE MORE CHAPTER! (After this one)

Armos: …I'm scared to read the end. I don't want it to end!

Mr.Who2123: But everything has to end sometime…right?

Armos: Wow…that was actually a logical statement…

Kemero: Mr.Who2123 does not own anything related to PSO.

Armos: BEGIN!!

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It was a long time before the light began to recede, and the two generals could finally open their eyes once more. The light abated slowly, and it took some time for it to cease enough that anything could be seen at all.

When Armos finally saw through the dying light, he sighed, looked down, and kicked a rock. Kemero noticed the down behavior, and looked through the light as well. There, through the dimming light, was Dark Falz, still standing, with fluid openly falling from it and forming huge puddles around it. It moved like a robot, rigidly. Slowly, it lifted its strange arm, though nothing happened.

"We didn't kill it…," Kemero muttered, looking down as well.

"That's true…but watch," Armos replied, placing his hand on the handle of his giant, metal blade. Kemero did what Armos had said, and noticed that there was a small glowing light coming from the arm it raised. Without a word, Kemero watched it intently. The small, glowing spot grew, and the ranger saw that the dark god's skin was falling off, and was replaced with the intense light.

"It's…shedding?" Kemero asked, confused.

"Just watch," Armos merely answered, his eyes still on the growing spot. The glowing spot grew more quickly, and more skin was falling off. In a matter of minutes, half of Dark Falz was covered in this glowing light, and it showed no sign of stopping at all.

When the glowing almost consumed the whole dark god, the ground began shaking violently. Kemero fell to the floor from the sudden earthquake, but Armos managed to stay up like before. Because of the great magnitude of the quake, the ground began to split, separating Armos and Kemero almost immediately.

To make matters even more exciting, boulders began falling from high cliffs that were previously unseen, and Kemero was forced to roll out of the way from them to not get crushed by their size.

When the earthquakes began to abate, Kemero found himself stuck in a thin crevice, surrounded by huge boulders twice as large as he. It was impossible for him to move, much less get out of the huge trap without Armos' help.

The ranger looked through the crevice, seeing Armos standing by himself next to the white blob that is Dark Falz. Suddenly, from the glowing light, a giant Dimenian–type monster appeared, looking exactly like the one on the picture of the wall.

When the Dimenian appeared, huge photon gathered around it, and suddenly, Armos was sent high into the air, though he was unharmed. In fact, he was standing calmly onto a giant ring of light blue photon while the giant Dimenian was in the middle, pointing its blade-arm at him.

Armos unsheathed his blade, staring down the last form of Dark Falz. His hands were sweaty under his tight gloves, and his breathing was ragged, as if he had just run a mile non-stop.

Armos started the battle by dashing up to the giant head in front of him and slicing mercilessly. However, the dark god took no damage, and ignored the attacks. Suddenly, it flew even higher in the sky and sent blue beams down towards the hunter. Armos rolled out of the way easily, smirking at how easy it was to dodge.

Suddenly, blasts hit Kemero from behind, and knocked him over. His whole back was bloody, and his uniform was ripping apart.

_Darn, they're homing blasts,_ Armos thought, muttering a Resta. _I hope I don't run out of photon energy either, or this thing could kill me in one hit…_

Dark Falz sent another set of blasts towards Armos, but instead of simply dodging, Armos began running around the ring, hoping the blasts would run out of energy as they chased him. Just as he suspected, the blue blasts disintegrated, and Armos stopped running.

Dark Falz was coming down once more to Armos' level, but when it was close to the hunter, it made a quick slice of its giant claw, hitting Armos directly in the stomach and knocking him over. Muttering a routine Resta, Armos got up once more, feeling his energy level drop dramatically in compensation for the huge wound.

Armos began attacking the dark god, yet it continued to do no damage, and the hunter took a step back, trying to find a way to destroy it.

_A fast moving enemy that is gigantic and can shoot projectiles…this is going to be hard…,_ he thought, looking for a weak point. _I might just have to penetrate its skin…maybe that's why I do no damage…_

Armos unsheathed his giant blade after putting away his twin handles, making a move for Dark Falz once more. However, it suddenly flew straight into the air once more, almost as if mocking the hunter for his weakness.

The blue blasts came once more, and Armos sighed in annoyance. He began running, keeping a distance with the blasts until they disappeared as normal. Armos stopped again, eyeing Dark Falz once more. However, the monster was using a whole new move, and light began spreading around Armos' feet, like a pool of glowing white energy. It crept up his legs and reached his torso, glowing brightly.

_What is this…!?_ He wondered. Looking up once more, Armos saw the monster make a slice in thin air, and the light began to glow brighter in reaction. Suddenly, it detonated, and Armos was on the floor again, cursing for his carelessness. The blast had destroyed the skin of his entire torso, leaving muscle and blood only. Armos winced as he moved to a sitting position, the pain near unbearable. He gathered the very last reserves of his photon and used it to cure his wounds.

_This is it…if I get hurt, I can't cure myself anymore,_ he thought, gripping his giant blade. Dark Falz came back down, its sword arm raised to strike. Armos wearily dodged the slice, and used brute strength to shove his giant blade into the flesh of Dark Falz. The stab worked…almost. The dark god had raised its claw in defense, and now there was a huge hole in it from the sword. Light blue fluid dripped from the photon claw, falling down below the giant photon ring.

Dark Falz began to make random slices at the hunter, who was using his utmost care in dodging, for if he made one misstep, the battle was over. Dark Falz began to fall in a routine, as it flew high above Armos once more, using the blue blasts to distract Armos. The hunter ran from them, and when they disintegrated, he didn't stop. He noticed the white light beginning to gather on the floor quite a ways away, and made sure to keep that distance.

The light disappeared, and Armos slowed to a walk, smiling at his triumph. Dark Falz came down again, and Armos moved to the outer edge of the ring in hopes of not getting his by a slash. Dark Falz, however, did nothing of the sort. It flew down, but it merely pointed its blade at Armos, and the hunter began to feel dizzy. He quickly shook his head, however, and his focus returned to him.

Dark Falz was merely floating in front of Armos, who happily took the opportunity to attack. He lifted his blade and charged the dark god, stabbing it in the head. However, pain suddenly filled his own head, and Armos' vision was stunted by blood running down it. Confused, Armos fell back, feeling a deep gash in his head. After noticing his wound, Armos saw Dark Falz held a phantom of the hunter, almost like a voodoo doll.

_He must've gotten that when it pointed its arm to me…,_ he deducted quickly as he wiped the blood on his pants and tried to ignore the aching pain in his head. _I have to wait for that thing to disappear before I can hurt it._

Dark Falz waited for Armos to continue to hurt himself, but when he made no move, Dark Falz flew once again high in the air. The hunter waited for the blue blasts, but none came. Silently, he waited with his blade in a readied position. The dark god made a strange motion with its giant claw arm, and Armos noticed that the phantom form of him had disappeared in thin air.

Dark Falz once more flew down, but it began attacking wildly, thrashing its photon claw like a madman. Armos had difficulty blocking the blows, and the hunter saw that its head was completely vulnerable at the moment. Taking a huge risk, he ran through the swipes, lifted his blade, and stabbed the dark god, landing a perfect blow. He smirked, letting go of the blade, and putting his hand on his stomach.

He gasped, seeing that the giant claw was right through his stomach, and the hunter must've gotten stabbed just as he stabbed Dark Falz. He stepped back, falling on one knee and saw Dark Falz thrashing in the pain that the giant metal blade brought it. His high spirits were broken down and crumbled into dust when Dark Falz began to calm down, and it pulled out the giant metal blade, throwing it down to the far floor below Armos and the dark god.

"I…I lost…," he muttered, looking down. A small smile came across his face. "But I knew I was going to lose…I knew I'd do this since I was brought out of this ruin as a child." He looked up to the giant monster, his eyes filled with determination at what he was going to do.

"You won, Dark Falz…, but I'm not done yet," he yelled, standing up. He felt power rise through him, and the hunter saw Kama behind him, transferring its own energy into him. Smiling, Armos healed his wound before he lifted his hand, using all of his energy to use his next spell.

The energy gathered in his hand was black, pure black like the energy that would often surge in the ruin when enemies appeared. It grew larger and larger, and Armos' determination and smile grew with it. Soon, it was the size of the hunter, and when he was satisfied with that size, Armos pointed it to Dark Falz, which was waiting for his attack.

The giant blast was sent towards Dark Falz, the size had been quadrupled and almost the size of the giant Dimenian. It gathered around the dark god, making a huge sphere around it, and Dark Falz was too late to react.

Armos' hand began to close into a fist, slowly, and the sphere did the same. It took almost all of Armos' will and strength to finally close his fist, and the black sphere disappeared into thin air.

Armos gasped in air, his breathing ragged and shortened, and his body shaking immensely. Slowly, the ring on which Armos was on lowered itself and disappeared, leaving Armos back on the ground and on his knees. His vision was failing, his breathing ending, and his bliss growing. He fell to the floor, awaiting of which he had been so fearful of all those years before.

Kemero finally managed to move a boulder and escape the prison of rocks. His whole body was dirty, but overall, he was fine. He looked up, seeing Armos lying on the floor, and ran as fast as he could.

Immediately falling to his knees, Kemero managed to turn over Armos so that his face was facing the dark sky.

"Armos!" Kemero yelled, confused of what had happened. He held no vision of the battle in the sky, and therefore didn't know that Armos had given all of his willpower into ending the dark god forever. Eyes fluttering and breathing barely there, Armos awoke, smiling at Kemero.

"Armos! You're okay! We'll call the Sage and get you out of here! It's alright!" he continued to say, though his heart felt like lead. Something wasn't right about Armos. He seemed very light. Armos continued to smile, and gently took hold of Armos' arm.

"It's alright Kemero…you won't have to worry about me…it's alright," he replied. Kemero, despite himself, felt tears gather in his eyes.

"No, Armos! You're not going to die! You're coming back with me! No!" he continued to exclaim back. Quickly, Kemero placed his hand on Armos' chest, and when he heard the heartbeat, he sighed in relief.

"No, Kemero…leave now…you have to let go…for me…please," Armos said in an ever softening voice. His breath was raspy and calmly pleasant, almost exactly opposite of his normal voice.

Kemero checked for a beat once more, and his hand shook when there was a lack of movement. His head drooped low, his tears slid down his dirty cheeks, and Kemero began to cry.

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Mr.Who2123: (Crying) P-Please Review! (Sniff)


	41. Epilogue

Mr.Who2123: I own nothing.

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Kemero entered his bedroom, tired and dirty. He looked about it slowly, noticing it was exactly the same as when they left it. Sighing, he wearily threw both his and Armos' bag on a bed, the collision with blankets making almost no noise.

Running a hand through his grimy white hair, Kemero walked to the desk of which Armos worked on so often. He saw a pile of papers, most of them crumbled into tiny, white balls scattered about the edge of the desk. Gingerly, he fingered through the few single pages that were not crumbled, and noticed they were addressed to him and were written in his own language.

"_Kemero,_

_If you're reading this, then you have already been in the ruin with me and left, except I'm dead now. _

_The truth behind my death is…I knew I was going to die since I saw that picture of the wall all those years ago. I've just been scared to tell anyone…and I'm sorry I made you worry about me…I can almost imagine what it would be like…not having this fate upon me. It would be pure bliss…so don't worry, I'm probably much happier than I was before._

_Thank you._

_Armos"_

Kemero dropped the paper without noticing, and tears gathered in his eyes once more.

"Armos…why did it have to happen? I'm sorry," he whispered, and began crying once more.

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It is now five years later from that large event. Kemero had never forgotten it, however, and still held his memories with his friend dear.

Kemero was currently at a desk in the Sage's office, filling paperwork and overlooking requests. He had never understood how much Armos actually worked until he was promoted to first general. Raiden had become the assistant now, and worked full-time out in the field with his soldiers, whom revered him greatly due to his victorious lead in the war with Dimenians.

Kemero overlooked a request for more beds, and seeing it was valid, signed the paper, and put it in a monstrous pile of other completed forms.

Kemero heard the door open, and the general looked up, seeing the Sage enter. Quickly, he stood up, wiping dust off of his now teal uniform.

"Good morning, sir," Kemero said in an obedient voice, yet it wasn't strained, but more of a friendly greeting.

"Hello, Kemero. I have to show you something," the Sage replied quickly, moving quickly to a black, metal contraption. Because of Kemero's long stay on Ragol, he knew most devices now, and saw that it was a device similar to a DVD player.

"What is it?" the ranger asked, leaving his desk, and moving next to the old man. Quickly, the Sage placed a small device into the player, and soon, the blank wall opposite of the player lit up, revealing a picture of Armos sitting on a chair casually.

Kemero widened his eyes, his full attention on the picture of his dead friend.

"If you found this, then that means I'm dead," Armos began. Then he chuckled, looking down to his hand that was on his leg. "It's just strange, knowing you're going to be dead when you guys get this. Well, I better start with thanks. Sage Geffen…" Armos and the Sage simultaneously winced at the formal name before the hunter continued. "…man, it's weird calling you that. Old man, thanks for everything. You raised me as your own and helped me become powerful, and I thank you sincerely for it."

"Armos…" the Sage muttered back, his eyes filling with tears. Wetness also began to cover Kemero's face as the video continued.

"Kemero, I'd like to apologize. I never told you anything about Dark Falz or my fate, but…," Armos stopped, tears in his dark eyes. His voice was cracking and his fingers shook. To Kemero, he looked almost exactly like he did when he was interrogated at fifteen years of age. "But…Kemero, when I was with you, I learned something. You…you always had hope. Kemero, you dared to go against many things that many others would not even dare encounter. You…you showed me that I am the one who chooses my fate…" Armos trailed off, his voice becoming calm.

"No one can choose my fate except for me. And I lost sight of the fact, along with all of my hope. So, thank you, Kemero. You were one of the few people I could truly call a friend.

"And it's okay Kemero. Even though I'll die, I am satisfied. To have hope of living is like taking a nearly unbearable weight off your shoulders. It is the greatest feeling in the world for me, and you are the cause. Thank you, Kemero, thank you. I hope…when your time comes…that we will see each other again."

The screen went blank, and Kemero was bawling just like when Armos first died.

"Armos…I…your welcome…," I sobbed. Although, these tears weren't only in sadness. Inside, I was overjoyed that Armos was happy, that he had 'hope.'

"I hope to see you in the afterlife as well…good friend," I whispered. A small smile came to Kemero's face after the comment. "Actually, I _know_ we'll see each other again. I'm sure we will."

**The End**

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Mr.Who2123: Thank you to those who read, I appreciate it dearly. And, like always…

Armos and Kemero: Please review!

Mr.Who2123:Thank you once again!


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